The former Mr. Griffith and Traffic
star Steven Bauer talks frankly about fatherhood, his relationship
with his film star ex- and how he's determined to conquer Europe
Relaxing on board a 35ft yacht in
Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles, Steven Bauer, who played Catherine Zeta Jones'
husband in the multi-Oscar-winning movie Traffic, chatted happily
to 7 about the amazing rollercoaster ride his life has been so far.
He's not a
big name in the UK yet, though in the US Steven has appeared alongside a
whole list of high-profile co-stars. There's Al Pacino in Scarface
, Richard Gere in Primal Fear and now Patrick Stewart, Marcia
Gay Harden and Lauren Holly in a TV film out shortly called King of
Texas . He has two sons, 16-year-old Alexander from his marriage
to Melanie Griffith, and 11-year-old Dylan from his second marriage to
actress Ingrid Anderson.
"Melanie
and I were together for five years and we still get on fantastically. We
have our son, Alexander, who is in a band at school and is an exellent guitarist
and singer," says Steven. One would imagine that with Steven and Melanie's
hectic work schedules it would be hard to find time to see Alexander much,
but as Steven says, "We see heaps of him one way or another. We co-ordinate
between his time at home and school - he is at boarding school in Colorado
and he divides his time between Melanie's house in LA, my home and school."
It is clear that Steven is very close
to Alexander. In fact, Steven and Melanie even seem to be in accord
about his upbringing. "Melanie and I are in constant contact regarding
Al, but it's up to him to make his own choices. Just because we're
both in the acting profession, we're not going to push him into anything."
"He loves film and is a really big film buff but also
an excellent writer. He hasn't made an absolute decision other than
to study more by going to college. Who knows? He may go to NYU
or over to RADA in London or perhaps to Oxford. He's very much a student
of English literature and history, and he's expressed an interest in spending
a year in England. It's very much an option for him when he starts
college."
From the pictures dotted around Steven's home, it's
obvious that Alexander resembles him very much. "Yes, but he's his
own person - very much an individual and independent," says Steven. "You
know, he's already getting into the eternal problem of the opposite sex!
I'm biased of course, but I think he's beautiful. I'd even go
so far to say that your two young princes over there in the UK are great-looking
boys, but my son is just so beautiful with his fair hair and amazing
features! How much like a doting dad do I sound?"
Steven says he is always on hand with plenty of advice
for his sons. He's been telling Al to take his time and not to feel
under pressure to choose a living. "I've told him that he can do anything
in this world as long as he's free. I think there is so much emphasis
on results, and I'm not really keen on results-oriented thinking. I
believe in process, and I'd love for him to be in the process of a number
of things while he is still a student."
Steven's other son Dylan, on the other hand, seems
to be pretty clear already about his path in life. "Maybe it's genetic,
because he's already an actor. He did a production here in the Miami
Community Theatre of A Christmas Carol - playing the role of the son,
Peter. He's a great singer and dancer and even as a pre-teen, quite
into Shakespeare! He dances ballet like you would not believe, and
there is a possibility that he will go to study it in Europe."
Steven almost bursts with pride when talking about
his sons, with whom he enjoys spending time just watching movies at his
home in Marina del Rey or larking around in his luxurious swimming pool.
"They get on really well considering they are five years apart," he
says. "Al is a very good big brother to Dylan."
The actor puts his children's healthy attitude to life
and family down to the fact that, unlike many of his Hollywood peers, he
has maintained good relationships with his ex-partners and has very strong
family ties. "What else is more important in life?" he says. "For
example, my youngest son Dylan is living with my mum and stepfather, John,
in Miami so he has the stable, consistent environment - he is better off
with them. My mum Lillian and John are both ex-schoolteachers, which
is great for Dylan, and I'm really happy with the environment they are able
to provide for him. I see him all the time as I live in Miami part
of the time, too."
What about Melanie's new husband Antonio Banderas -
is he now part of Steven's extended family? "Antonio is quite a guy.
We've spent a lot of time together and I have to say that I admire him
hugely for being so accepting of Melanie's and my friendship. He's been
very much a friend to me and very supportive. I was over there recently
having dinner with her and Antonio along with Alexander and also Dakota.
We see each other quite a bit. Antonio's also a great stepdad
to Al. I'm very, very much in his corner. Al's a lucky
guy - he's also got another great stepdad, Don Johnson.
"Don and I get on famously, too," continues Steven.
"We have a friendship that goes back years. I was married to Melanie
after and before she was married to Don! It's great that we
are all such friends. In fact, Alexander and I had dinner with Don
in Colorado recently when I was over visiting. We all had dinner at
Don's ranch where he spends time while he's not filming his series in San
Francisco. Don's devoting some quality time to his new wife and daughter."
We asked what it was like working with Catherine Zeta-Jones
on the set of Traffic. "Oh, Catherine is just gorgeous," he
exclaims. "When I met her I'd already seen her in her first two films,
Mask of Zorro and Entrapment. What man would not fall
head over heels with her in those films?"
It seems the Welsh actress made quite an impression.
"Here I was having to work with this wonderful creature. She makes
it so very easy for you to love her and at the same time respect her. She's
just a great person, down to earth, not aloof or arrogant or a prima donna.
On set she's friendly to everyone and we struck up a friendship, which
was quite easy, because we both have a musical background in theatre.
"We found ourselves picking up our favourite songs and
one day on the set we were doing West Side Story and driving everyone
crazy - we were playing Tony and Maria from the musical."
Having worked fairly non-stop for the last few years,
we wondered if Steven was planning to take a breather. In typical upbeat
fashion he told us that he "had too many plans!" Elaborating, he says,
"I'm just on a break from my latest TV series called UC - Undercover
, which we film up in Vancouver. It's about infilitrating narcotic
rings, bank gangs, etc. and it's produced by the brilliant Danny DeVito. I
have a regular part in this show which gets broadcast on NBC, so it's mainstream
TV which is great for me. John Seda also plays a part - he was with
me in Primal Fear. Basically, it's a very strong show with just
the best technology! I've also been really busy with new film scripts
- there is one currently set in Bulgaria which would also star James Spader
about some scientists in Antarctica. It's a very exciting possibility
and that could well be my next film project."
When he's not working, Steven can be found playing guitar
and writing music. In fact, he hopes to be putting some music down this
next year and releasing an album. Sailing, too, is a big love. Ten
years ago in Miami, Steven, his father and brother had a 36ft Hunter sail
boat. "We are all sailors, even though my father is a pilot! All
the years we were growing up we snorkelled and dived, but our passion is sailing."
As he thinks about those good times, he looks around
the boat we're sitting on and tells us that at weekends when he has the time
he loves to go out with friends on the water. "In fact," he reflects,
"I think one of my favourite things is to just chill out on the boat and let
the cares of the world drift away."
Steven considers himself a lucky man, not only because
he can divide his time between Marina del Rey, where we shot these pictures,
as well as his apartment in Miami Beach, but also because he has come through
some well-documented tough times. As Steven himself says, "I always
wanted to follow in the footsteps of my heroes, but I never for a moment thought
I'd follow some of them down the road that I have. Basically, I had
a very long and very debilitating bout with heroin as, sadly, a lot of artistes
do."
Steven is candid about his past, perhaps because it
is very much in the past. "I'm totally over it and clean now," he
asserts. "I think at the height of my disillusionment with Hollywood,
after some of my movies didn't do so well, and also around the time of the
break-up of my relationship with Melanie, I did get into a big depression
and got hooked. I'm very proud to say I am not and will no longer be
under any bad influences, and am healthier and happier than I've felt in years."
And looking at him, a picture of good health here on this boat, we
can only agree.
Steven considers his survival is down to the help of
some very dear friends. "I have to give a special medal to Melanie
for coming through at crunchtime," he says. "She played a big hand
in getting the help that I needed at the time. A couple of people close
to me recommended a world renowned clinic in Arizona to me." A month
and a half later, Steven had successfully dealt with a number of issues in
his life. "They really got to the root of things," he admits, and he
now feels like he's completed another chapter in his life.
"I consider myself one of the lucky ones. A lot
of people I know aren't so lucky - they get the help, do well and come out,
and as soon as that happens, they flounder again. One of my very great
friends, one of the most talented actors in Hollywood - and I don't need to
say his name because he keeps showing up in the papers - keeps going back.
He's one of our great talents and everybody loves him. He's a
great guy but he seems to have a problem where he keeps going back to his
dark place, gets sentenced by the judge and then has another spell in a clinic.
He then gets out and they let him work again, but then he ends up in
a hotel room with drugs and it happens all over again."
Drug addiction can creep up on anyone, says Steven,
and many people don't make it out of "the tunnel", as he calls it. Perhaps
one of the great examples of recent years is shown in Elton John's video for
his hit single I Want Love with Robert Downey Jnr. "The video
was an amazing thing, and Elton is another one of the lucky ones who has
come out of the tunnel and stayed out in the open in the sunshine. I
see that as my story."
The actor is now trying to give something back in return
for the help he received. "I'm starting a programme in Miami for teenaged
boys and speaking to them about how they can avoid my experiences. I
hope they can take something from that and spare themselves. I want
to give something back. I really feel that I'm at a particularly good
place in my life right now."
Steven's good place also extends to his romantic life.
He is engaged to Bria. "We haven't set an actual date yet - we
have a promise! Basically, it's not something that's set in stone as
both of us have a lot of work to do.
"She's independent and really wants to go back to school
to study photography and film. She's 26 and we met through a mutual
friend who had a child going to the same school one of my sons went to. We've
been going out now for almost four years, so I'm a pretty settled down kind
of guy right now. We have the same interests - film, writing, etc. She's
sharp and creative, which is wonderful."
We asked Steven if the UK would get to see him any time
soon and he told us that although he's not been over for some eight years,
he would like to spend some time in England. "There are some movies
I'm looking at and I'd really love to do them in England. There is one
which is a World War II Story about American fighter pilots in England in
1943 and it's a beautiful book that I want to get the rights to and film.
I've been talking to a lot of finance people in Miami - luckily I'm
well known there - and with any luck I'll be able to raise the money to do
this film. I'd like to have another really big film over in Europe -
some of my fims are very well known in a lot of other countries. For
example, I acted with Al Pacino in the film Scarface, which was a fantastic
experience - he's a truly great actor. I would definitely like to become
more of a name over in Europe."
If this sounds like a shift into producing and directing
and away from acting, Steven is keeping his options open. "I'd like
to put myself in this film and act in it but also have a go at producing it.
There are some great parts for both American and British actors in
this film. Another thing I'd love to do is work on stage in England
- there's a play by Clifford Odets from the late Forties called The Big
Knife, and I've been talking to several of my peers about producing it
in NY and then transferring it to London, then maybe a film. And then
I also have the music that I want to put out and perhaps do a tour of Great
Britain with that."
Steven's future plans will, we hope, bring him our way,
but for now he's enjoying LA life. When we drop him off at the Chateau
Marmont, he's to meet up with Melanie. They are off to see a U2 concert
together.
Photo Captions:
Spiky love: Melanie and Steven were together for five years in the
Eighties. They have a son, Alexander, now 16.
Steven is engaged to 26-year-old Bria who he met through mutual friends.
"She's sharp and creative," he says.
With houses in LA and Miami, Steven spends time between the two, but still
has plenty of time to spend with his sons, Dylan, 11, and Alexander, 16. He
clearly dotes on them. "I can't praise both of my children enough,"
he says.
