Christian Slater keynote speaker

With humor and sincerity, Christian Slater discusses his life and work, from growing up in New York City as a child actor to achieving worldwide fame at a young age, capturing the extraordinary highs and lows of a remarkable life nearly destroyed by drug addiction and the excruciating, humanizing process of starting over again.

Slater grew up in a subsidized housing project in Hell’s Kitchen, raised by a single mother and haunted by an unpredictable, schizophrenic father. He had a professionally printed resumé by age four and debuted on Broadway at age nine, permanently dropping out of traditional school to appear as Winthrop in The Music Man opposite Dick Van Dyke for eight shows a week, plus a national tour.

At fifteen, Slater starred opposite Sean Connery in The Name of the Rose, and enjoyed an ascendant stardom for years thereafter, starring in iconic roles in Heathers, Pump up the Volume, Robin Hood, True Romance, and Interview with the Vampire. His struggles with alcohol and drug addiction grew as his star rose, finally spilling into the public sphere and threatening his life, his family, and his career.

Now twenty years sober, Slater speaks openly about his recovery journey, growing up in the limelight, his approach to maintaining a long and fulfilling career, and his experience as an actor across stage, tv, and film. His story of recovery and taking his life back amidst the wreckage of drug and alcohol abuse is an inspiration to those struggling with addiction and anyone facing seemingly insurmountable circumstances. His willingness to share his story speaks to his dedication to destigmatizing mental illness and championing increased access to robust mental health and recovery support systems.

Slater’s experience finding meaning as an artist across decades is an example to anyone looking to build a long-term and resonant career that defies convention. His perspective as an actor and producer who has worked with some of Hollywood’s most respected writers and directors—Quentin Tarantino, Francis Ford Coppola, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Tony Scott, John Woo, Lars von Trier, Eric Idle, and Sam Esmail—provides a singular window into a rarefied world, relevant to anyone interested in the hard-won artistic lessons and extraordinary life experiences of a New York kid who achieved the impossible.

As the title character of Mr. Robot, Slater won a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award and shared in the show’s Peabody, Critics’ Choice, Golden Globe, and AFI Award wins as a producer of the series. Since then, he’s starred in Dirty John, Dr. Death, Blink Twice, and Dexter: Original Sin, Showtime’s most viewed show in ten years. His performance in Dr. Death also earned him a Critics’ Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Slater has enjoyed a storied stage career as well, leading a smash-hit West End revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which opened to rave reviews and closed after two extensions and 150 sold-out shows. He’s also lit up the stage in productions of The Glass Menagerie, Spamalot, and Glengarry Glen Ross. His latest stage credit is as Weston Tate in the off-Broadway revival of Sam Shepard’s Curse of the Starving Class, starring opposite Calista Flockhart.

From Hell’s Kitchen to Broadway, from fan-mail services and MTV Movie Awards to Peabody’s and Golden Globes, from studios to streamers, from Teen Beat to the New York Times, Christian Slater survived child stardom and teen idolatry, addiction and public collapse to forge cultural relevance in a new era. In his fifth decade as a working actor, he is ready to share his story.