Eric Roberts Reveals How This 1983 Bob Fosse Film Saved His Career

BeforeEric Roberts became one of Hollywood's well-known actors, he was ready to call it quits in his late 20s. The actor reveals that a 1983 film by director Bob Fosse changed his life and career, which led him to a Golden Globes nomination and future hits.

By the late '70s, Roberts' career began with a leading role in the King of Gypsies, which got him his first Golden Globe nomination. Roberts was roughly 22 years old at the time and was on his way to stardom early on, until a car accident had him believe it was over before it began. In 1983, his career went back on track thanks to Fosse's film Star 80, where he played the leading role of Paul Snider, alongsideMariel Hemingway as Dorothy Stratten.

In an episode of the It Happened in Hollywoodpodcast, Roberts reveals he took on the film during a difficult time in his life. He revealed the year before being cast was an "odd, peculiar, hard time," seeing as he was in a car accident that led him to be in a coma for a while. The accident caused "short-term memory loss" and issues with his hand-eye coordination.

"And, so I thought my days as an actor were probably over, if not very much numbered and, was going through the deepest depression I've ever had in my life," he admitted.

Roberts revealed that the script for Star 80 was given to him by his manager, knowing he was a Fosse fan. At first, Roberts wasn't really interested in the script and only looked at it because of the director. He admitted that his initial read of the script didn't impress him.

"I didn't like it because it seemed too black and white to me," he confessed. "It seemed too bad guy, good girl, put upon, oppressive. It just seemed too black and white, and it wasn't interesting. Even though it was a true story, it didn't light me up."

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Despite not liking the storyline, Roberts auditioned for the role anyway and was given a callback by Fosse. The actor was given the role after a few auditions, and Roberts spent months researching the film to understand Fosse's desire for wanting to make the film.

Roberts finally understood the characters and story, despite having thought it was either "very hard to get to or very cliché if you do get to it." Ultimately, Roberts realized that his on-screen character and Snider were "a dime a dozen" in context to how the film ends in a murder suicide. He called the film "valuable" as "these guys are not unusual."

Star 80 ended up leading Roberts to be nominated for a Golden Globe for Leading Actor, and he would go on in 1985 to star in Runaway Train, which earned him another nomination and Oscar nod. Fosse died two years later in 1987.

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 12:12 PM.