Justine knows what’s what

Press, 22 April 1986, Page 19

Justine knows what’s what

One of the United States’ baby-faced heartthrobs, Christopher' Atkins, (above) is being tipped to make a guest appearance in the yet-to-be-made second series of “Return To Eden.” The 25-year-old actor had “secret” talks with the producers of “Return To Eden” while he was recently on holiday in Australia and later described these meetings as “very productive.” A spokesperson for the programme described Atkins as “perfect” for a role in the second series, which is due to start filming in May. Atkins is keen to work in Australia since he married an Australian model, Lynn Baron, and they had a baby son. Atkins is also said to be keen to become an Australian resident to allow him to work in the country in both television and film. The first series of “Return To Eden” continues on One at 9.30 p.m.

Justine Bateman, who plays Mallory in “Family Ties” (One, 8 p.m.) is a bit of a surprise to Hollywood journalists. She may be just out of her teens and starring in a successful television show, but she is not the cute kid they have come to expect. Instead, they describe her as a person with her feet firmly on the ground with maturity well beyond her years. “I don’t want to be in this business my whole life,” she told one reporter. “There is too much else out there. I’d like to be the editor and art director of a magazine, or I’d like to be an advertising executive. It is not that I’m uncertain about acting, but I’m only 20, so I’m not about to say ‘this is it.’ I don’t see any reason why you should spend your whole life in just one career.” Her varied ambitions are not just the products of pie-in-the-sky dreaming. When “Family Ties” ends (she is contractually committed for another three years), she is determined to enrol at New York University where she will study journalism and advertising. Juggling two careers will not be a new experi-

ence for her, however. Before she was even out of her teens, she had already established herself as a theatrical producer. She and her father, Kent Bateman, (a director/producer), and her brother, Jason, (an actor), co-own a theatre in Hollywood, where they have staged several successful productions in the last 18 months. “I believe in always keeping my mind open to new opportunities,” she says. T don’t think there should ever be a point in life when you say ‘my time is past.’