Eric Roberts always looks like he’s been in the middle of something. But in a recent conversation about his 1983 film Star 80, he admitted it almost didn’t happen at all—because at 27, he thought his acting days were likely over.
Roberts, 69, appeared on the April 14 episode of the It Happened in Hollywood podcast hosted by Seth Abramovitch, to talk through the chain reaction that started before Star 80. The film, directed by Bob Fosse, centered on Playboy model Dorothy Stratten (Mariel Hemingway) and her husband Paul Snider (Roberts). For a short time, Stratten was poised to become a major star—until Snider murdered her and himself.
The backstory is where Roberts really gets personal. “It was a really odd, peculiar, hard time for me because the year before that I had an automobile accident and I was in a coma for a little bit,” he said. He described “short-term memory loss” and trouble with hand-eye coordination, then added that he went through “the deepest depression I’ve ever had in my life.” He didn’t phrase it as a temporary slump, either—he said he thought his days as an actor were “probably over,” if not “very much numbered.” The memory of that period still carries weight; he mentioned it with the bluntness of someone who doesn’t want to romanticize the struggle.
Then, somehow, the phone call came. Roberts’ manager called and told him he had “a Bob Fosse script” that had been obtained from a casting director who wasn’t supposed to give it to him. “I’m giving it to you to read because I think you should go for it,” Roberts remembered being told, along with the note that he was a big fan of Fosse. Misryoum newsroom reporting notes Roberts was, and he took the script.
At first, though, he didn’t love it. “I didn’t like it because it seemed too black and white to me,” he confessed—“too bad guy, good girl, put upon, oppressive.” Even though the movie was based on a true story, he said it didn’t “light me up.” Roberts explained that he wasn’t really interested in the script itself, but he stayed interested because it was Bob Fosse. From there, he worked “very hard” on the audition, got a callback, and returned for more auditions—he estimated “five or six times” before Fosse finally called and offered him the film.
What surprised Roberts is that he later became the one who understood the point. He said he spent “three months” doing research with Fosse, and by the time it was time to move forward, he felt the story’s value more clearly. Misryoum editorial desk noted he described how people treat Sniders as unusual—then basically dismissed the idea. “Paul Sniders are a dime a dozen,” he said. They’re “all around us,” and in show business, he added, you get surrounded by “obnoxiousness,” “ego” and “pointless coolness” all day.
Roberts was eventually nominated for best actor in a motion picture — drama at the Golden Globes for Star 80. It also turned out to be Fosse’s last film before his death. As for Roberts’ career afterward, he didn’t just continue—he expanded. He has since appeared in over 700 movies and TV shows, and in 2022 he said he considers himself “one of the luckiest guys in Hollywood,” adding that he receives “anywhere from eight to 30 offers every single day from all over the world.” His credits include 1985’s Runaway Train (Oscar nomination), 2008’s The Dark Knight, 2014’s Inherent Vice and 2022’s Babylon, plus recurring roles on Heroes, The Young and the Restless, Suits and The Righteous Gemstones.
And there’s a small, vivid detail tucked into this kind of career story: even now, Roberts’ account reads like the room he was in—quiet for a second, then suddenly the sound of opportunity. So maybe that’s what sticks most. When things looked done, a script—slipped into his hands by a manager who thought he should go for it—gave him back a future. Actually, I guess it wasn’t just a future. It was a turning point that he still remembers clearly enough to describe in full sentences, not just nostalgia—
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