The father of Christian Slater, Thomas Knight Slater, has filed a $20 million lawsuit after the "Mr. Robot" star publicly stated that his dad, who is also an actor, ruined his own career because he has mental illness.
Entertainment Tonight reports that the older Slater, who also goes by the name screen name Michael Hawkins, was alluding to the statements that his son made in an interview done in June 2015. But Hawkins' lawsuit only cited a story ran by the tabloid National Enquirer in December 2105, which only rehashed the statements.
"He's a manic-depressive schizophrenic. He's always had trouble-he was a fantastic actor and extraordinarily charismatic and very, very good looking, but he had a really difficult time working with directors, collaborating with people," Slater told Interview last year.
New York Daily News reports that Hawkins' ex-wife was also named in the lawsuit along with Slater. He believes that they both defendants orchestrated to besmirch his reputation in the industry, which is why he cannot find work in Hollywood anymore. He claims he's been blacklisted in Hollywood.
"Neither of the defendants has a medical credential, or the ability to diagnose manic-depressive schizophrenia, and even if that were the case, they would be bound not to disclose it to the general public," Hawkins' complaint stated.
Hawkins also cited that he was humiliated and distressed due to the incident that it affected his well-being. Thus, he's seeking $20 million in damages.
Hawkins, 80, was part of the 70s soap opera series "Ryan's Hope" and "As the World Turns." He also had small movie roles in films like "Midnight Run" and "Amityville Horror," TMZ reports.
Meanwhile, Slater's camp has not made any comments to the lawsuit. Before this, the father and son were estranged for nine years and only recently tried to fix their relationship, Mirror reports.
