Life Lessons from Rob Lowe

Welcome to Life Lessons. This week, we revisit our March 1990 cover story with Rob Lowe. A Brat Pack veteran, Rowe rocketed to teen idol prominence in the ’80s with roles in cult classics like Saint Elmo’s Fire and The Outsiders before transitioning into adulthood with roles in The West Wing and Parks and Rec. This month, Lowe made an appearance in Netflix’s docuseries The Andy Warhol Diaries, where he recalls his encounters with Andy Warhol and reflects on the surreal world of ’80s celebrity. At the time of his Interview cover story, Lowe was two years past a contentious sex scandal and gearing up for the release of his psychological thriller Bad Influence. Lowe muses about the complexities of the human condition, living monkishly, coming to terms with his own beauty. So sit back, grab a pen—you just might learn a thing or two. 

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“The thing is, I like to go out as if I were an accountant, a doctor, a gas station guy. I don’t like to let my celebrity interfere with me living my life. I like to meet people, I like to talk to people. I enjoy experiencing life. Being a celebrity can really stand in the way of that.”

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“I want to be genuine and open with everyone, because when I was young and just starting out, I remember I was around people who were successful, and I thought that some were kind of cold or off-putting to their fans. It always really bothered me. So I think I may sometimes go too far out of my way.”

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“Anyone who’s lived their life to the fullest extent has a scandal buried somewhere. And anybody who doesn’t have a scandal I have no interest in meeting because they haven’t lived their lives. I mean, you show me someone who’s led a perfect life and I’ll show you a dullard.”

“Kids are growing up and they don’t know the difference between fact and fiction. The line is getting blurry. I can handle it, you know, I’m a big boy. And the entertainment industry has always been crazy. But the problem is, it spills over into some very serious issues, in politics and real newsworthy stuff.”

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“Well, as far as the way people perceive me in my career, I don’t know, because I really make a point of never worrying, or trying not to worry, about the way I’m perceived. You’ll go crazy otherwise.”

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“What people do in their private lives is their business, and shouldn’t be anybody else’s business. And for people to judge people on that… What does the Bible say? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

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“What I believe, is that everybody is naughty, everybody is good. Everybody is god. Everybody is the devil. And if you don’t realize you have both parts, that’s what really causes problems.”

“I’ll be a role model on my terms, but don’t make a role model on your terms. I think of myself as a human being first and foremost, and secondly as a person whose profession is acting. If people want to make that into something more or less, that’s up to them.”

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“If people are attracted to me, I like to think it’s because I’m an interesting person, fairly smart, well-rounded, with a good sense of humor. I would like to think that’s what I am. I would like to think people see it.”

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“[Beauty is] something that comes from within, and it manifests itself physically. You can meet people who are really beautiful. Then, when you see them angry for the first time, all of a sudden they’re not beautiful anymore. They didn’t just step into the other room and have plastic surgery; they’re still the same physically. It’s just that something inside of them has changed. They’re no longer attractive.”

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“Just because people will say you have fucked up does not mean you are fucked up. And whether you’re a movie star or doing time in a correctional institute, everybody can have bad judgment, and it’s something you have to address. You learn to go on from it. It shouldn’t stand in your way. You shouldn’t let people continue to throw it in your face. Everybody makes mistakes…People are human. There’s such a premium today on being perfect. That’s just not the way people are.”

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