Oh man, Chris Klein, right? If he doesn’t reek of the year 2000, I don’t know who does. Remember when he was so popular? He was all over Tiger Beat and Twist, and he even dated Katie Holmes, and I always pretended to love him even though I didn’t think he was all that cute. But American Pie! Here on Earth! … Other movies! These are classics and I do have to respect him for that.
I also have to respect him for having a major alcohol problem and turning it around, and then having the courage to talk about it.
From People:
Chris Klein became an overnight heartthrob after starring in Election and the 1999 breakout hit American Pie.
“It was nothing short of magic,” says the actor, of his early stardom – something he quickly learned wouldn’t last forever.
Klein slid into a battle with alcoholism that nearly cost him his career – and his life.
“I would have died, and I think about that every single day,” the actor, 33, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive new interview.
After two DUI arrests and a jail sentence, the Nebraska-reared actor knew he had to turn his life around. Now nearly 19 months sober, Klein opens about his struggles for the first time.
“It got to the point where I was a fragile shadow of the young man that came into this business,” he says. “Today, I’m the luckiest guy alive.”
See what I mean? That’s respectable, right? And I have to say, after all these years and all these issues, he is looking quite a bit cuter. Could 2012 be Chris Klein’s year?
Nope. Next.