Hollywood movie star Heather Graham has been estranged from her parents for over 30 years.
The Boogie Nights actress, 56, has opened up about her difficult childhood in a new interview with UsWeekly.
The beauty said she was unhappy at home with her FBI agent dad because he was domineering.
And her schoolteacher mom backed up her father, which made it difficult to be close to her, the star explained.
She moved out of the family home at the age of 18 after landing her first movie role – and she’s admitted she hasn’t spoken to either of them since she was 25.
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Heather Graham has been estranged from her parents for over 30 years. The Boogie Nights actress, 56, has opened up about her difficult childhood in a new interview with UsWeekly. Seen in November in NYC
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Graham’s parents Joan and Jim seen in a Facebook post from 2023
The star, whose new movie is They Will Kill You, said, ‘Being in this business was great for me because… making money allowed me to move out [of my house].
‘[My father would] say, “When you’re under my roof, you do what I say.” So I was like, “I’m going to make my own money and be under my own roof.”’
She added, ‘I grew up with a very domineering father and I saw my mother as subservient.
‘I like the idea that I have my own house — like, I like it really hot inside. Friends and boyfriends are like, “This is way too hot,” but I like to set my own thermostat, you know what I mean?’
When asked how that experience with her parents shaped her she said, ‘When you grow up in an abusive environment, you think, “Oh, this is normal.” As a kid, I thought I must’ve done something wrong. As I got older, I [realized my father] handled those situations very badly.’
And the star still does not think it is a good idea to talk to her father.
‘I’m not interested in having a relationship [with my dad] unless he can apologize and take accountability,’ she noted.
‘My other family members are slightly controlled by him, so I don’t know. I have people around me who are so much more loving, and I want to go where the love is.’
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The Hollywood star seen in a childhood school portrait shared to Instagram
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The star’s sister Aimee Graham is an actress/writer/director. And Aimee appears to still be close to her parents as she is seen on her mother’s Facebook page
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Aimee has worked on the films Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (2000), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and Brokedown Palace (1999). Seen in an August 14 Instagram post
In 2024 she told the Wall Street Journal: ‘I stopped talking to my parents when I was 25, and I’m estranged from them now.’
She went on to explain her difficult teenage years living at home, saying: ‘Home and school weren’t happy places growing up … My father, James, was an F.B.I. agent.
‘He regularly told me that the entertainment industry was evil and that Hollywood would claim my soul if I became an actress and appeared in anything with sexual content.
‘My mother, Joan, was an elementary school teacher… But my parents were part of a generation that didn’t believe in therapy or discussing personal things, so I never felt I could talk to them.
‘To her credit, my mother supported my creative streak and acting ambition.
‘It was a mixed message, though, since my father was strongly against them and my mother didn’t do much to protect me from him.’
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Seen with her new boyfriend, Italian director Michele Civetta, in Mexico earlier this year
Graham was 17 years old when she landed her first big role in License To Drive.
She said living at home became ‘more difficult’ after the movie came out.
So she resolved to become a film star and moved into a shared apartment in West Hollywood and her career eventually took off.
Her sister Aimee Graham is an actress/writer/director.
Aimee has worked on the films Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (2000), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and Brokedown Palace (1999).
And Aimee appears to still be close to her parents as she is seen on her mother’s Facebook page.
Graham now relies on a close circle of friends for support. She said: ‘My friends are proud of me, and I’m proud of myself. I have really good friends.’
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