Kindness SAVED MY LIFE

The acclaimed actor shares lessons learned, the most frightening thing he's ever done and the role he's eager to play

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In the early 1980s, Eric Roberts’ work in films such as Star 80, Runaway Train and The Pope of Greenwich Village made him one of the new young lions of the silver screen. “From the time I was 8 or 9, I knew that I was going to be an actor,” Eric, 68, tells Closer. His latest project, Hippo, is a coming-of-age story about two step-siblings enduring unrequited love, the threat of the unknown and the chaos of mental illness together. “Hippo is precious, and I’m very proud to have been a part of it,” says Eric, who narrates the film.

Eric received an Oscar nomination for his role in 1985's Runaway Train, co-starring Jon Voight.

Last September, Eric also released his deeply personal memoir,