Sep 24, 2009, 5:00 GMT
Christian Slater says it is a "miracle" he has reached 40.
US actor Christian Slater Christian had numerous run-ins with the law in his younger days, including being arrested for criminal possession of a weapon at a New York airport in 1994, but he insists he has now put his past behind him. EPA/PAUL BUCK
The 'He Was A Quiet Man' actor never thought he'd make it to the landmark age when he was a Hollywood hellraiser in his 20s.
He said: "I just hit 40, so what more can I say? I mean, the fact that I'm 40 is a miracle. I'm on the other side now.
"I feel like I've hit a certain milestone and I'm going onward and upward. If I were looking back, I would say to myself during the tough times, 'If you can make it to 40, nothing in the past can prevent you from being present today.'
"There's a great author who said, 'We don't live life, life kind of lives us.' I've been out of control. But if I hadn't been, I wouldn't know how to be in control."
Christian had numerous run-ins with the law in his younger days, including being arrested for criminal possession of a weapon at a New York airport in 1994, but he insists he has now put his past behind him.
He even went back to finish high school.
Christian added to Parade.com: "When I had kids, my whole idea on education started to shift just a little bit and I definitely wanted them to finish high school, but I hadn't finished high school. So I knew that if I tried to push them, I would lose the argument because they'd be like, 'Hey dad, you never finished.' So I went and sat in a classroom with a bunch of students and got my General Education Development diploma."
Christian has two children, son Jaden, 10, and daughter Eliana, eight, from his failed marriage Ryan Haddon.
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