Lala Sloatman

Genre Films and the Fan Favorite

Lala Sloatman made her big-screen debut in 1988 with Watchers. It was a low-budget horror film based on a Dean Koontz novel that aimed to capitalize on the appeal of animatronic creatures. Sloatman played Tracey, and her presence fit perfectly with the late-eighties aesthetic.

That same year, she appeared in Tequila Sunrise. It was a brief role in a high-profile film directed by Robert Towne, where she shared the screen with Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer. Her real breakthrough with teen audiences came a year later.

In 1989, she filmed Dream a Little Dream. The movie was designed to capitalize on the box office appeal of the two Coreys, Haim and Feldman, who were the reigning kings of teen box office at the time. Sloatman played Shelley, and her real-life relationship with Corey Haim off screen fueled the tabloids of the day.

And the gamble paid off.

During the filming of that movie, the actress became a regular fixture on the Los Angeles nightlife scene. Her family ties to Frank Zappa, whose niece she is, gave her an air of rebelliousness that the marketing departments knew how to exploit. But she always preferred to stay on the margins of the commercial film industry.

The Zappa Name as Baggage

Her career did not follow the usual path of child stars chasing an Oscar at all costs. In 1990, she took a supporting role in Joe Versus the Volcano. She worked under John Patrick Shanley in a surreal comedy that is now a cult title but that puzzled critics at the time.

Lala Sloatman never sought out the spotlight. She enjoyed character roles and productions where the script strayed from convention. Her appearance in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story came in 1993. In this biographical film, she played one of Lee's students in a scene depicting the cultural clash of the 1960s.

Her personal life became inevitably intertwined with music. In 1996, she married Chris Robinson, the singer of The Black Crowes. The marriage lasted only two years, and during that period she gradually stepped back from major film sets.

She preferred the freedom of anonymity.

In the late 1990s, she appeared in Man on the Moon. In 1999, Milos Forman cast her in this biopic about Andy Kaufman starring Jim Carrey. It was a precise, technical job on one of the most demanding productions of her career.

Life after celluloid

After the turn of the millennium, her film appearances became rare. In 2003, she worked on Net Games, a thriller that went straight to home video without making much noise in theaters. Sloatman no longer relied on acting for fulfillment and began exploring other creative pursuits away from the camera.

In 2010, she made a brief appearance in Somewhere. Sofia Coppola cast her in a small role that paid tribute to the generation of actors who defined the Hollywood of the eighties and nineties. It was one of her last recorded collaborations in mainstream film.

Today, she focuses on design.

For years, she has run her own handmade jewelry line under the name Lala Sloatman Jewelry. Her pieces are made by hand and steer clear of mass production. The company operates mainly through digital channels and private sales from its base in California.

In 2024, the brand is still active, offering a catalog of sterling silver and natural stone jewelry through its official platform.