In April 2016, a man donning a makeshift disguise committed a bank robbery and escaped with a bundle of cash. At the time, he was grappling with a severe heroin addiction, homelessness, and persistent suicidal thoughts.
His descent into this dark abyss was a stark contrast to his life three decades earlier.
Back in 1986, as a child actor, Joe Cramer had just starred in Disney’s sci-fi fantasy film, Flight Of The Navigator, earning rave reviews for his performance. However, shortly after its release, he chose to take a hiatus from acting “to be a normal kid again”.
This break extended more than 30 years, during which he spiralled into a life of drugs and crime. The bank heist was his desperate cry for help. Three days later, he was arrested and incarcerated, providing him with the long-term treatment he needed to reclaim his life, reports the Daily Record.
Now 51, he’s sober and has returned to the film industry. He shared his distressing journey in the 2020 documentary, Life After The Navigator, hoping to inspire others dealing with similar struggles.
In a 2020 interview with the Daily Star from his home on Vancouver Island, Canada, Joe described the documentary, saying: “It isn’t a ‘where are they now?’ reality TV, glam drama. It’s what really happened.”
Raised by a single mother and with no siblings for company, Joe dived into the world of acting from his early days. He found himself on stage and in TV adverts, most of which were shot around Vancouver.
It wasn’t long before he hit the big screen in the mid-1980s with films such as Runaway, I-Man, and The Clan of the Cave Bear. However, it was the classic sci-fi adventure Flight Of The Navigator that rocketed him into fame.
In the film, Joe, then going by Joey, played David Freeman, a 12-year-old who is whisked away by an extraterrestrial craft and returned to Earth eight years later without having aged. The film raked in an impressive $18m.
Reflecting on the experience, Joe said: “It was pretty incredible. The spaceship and imagination – the script was really amazing. You never can tell how successful something is going to be. I was just doing my job and having fun with it.”
The downside? Being a rising star meant periods of isolation from family and friends.
Joe added: “I got into acting for fun – I loved it and it came naturally to me. But I got pretty lonely. On Navigator, there weren’t many other kids in the film, so mostly it was just me doing the job.”
Post-Navigator life brought an influx of offers, leaving Joe feeling “overwhelmed”. He appeared in one final movie, Stone Fox, before taking a break.
“I just wanted to be a normal kid again, have fun, skateboard and all that stuff,” he admitted. “But once I went back to school, I didn’t quite fit in anywhere.”
Back at school, being the “movie star kid” made finding his place difficult: “I was teased because I was the ‘movie star kid’, so I fitted in where I could – and it’s easy to fit in with the misfits who smoke and drink and smoke weed, so that’s what I gravitated towards. I got into cocaine at a really young age – 14 or 15.”
Joe’s life took a downward spiral and by the age of 18, he was frequently using crack cocaine and had his first experience in rehab. Reflecting on this period, he said: “I look back and go, ‘What were you thinking?’, but as a kid it just didn’t register that doing these harder drugs was that much worse than smoking weed and drinking. By the time I realised, it was too late. I was a mess.”
A few years later, Joe relocated to Mexico for four months where he managed to overcome his drug addiction. He stayed clean for a decade, taking up various jobs including working at a sporting goods store.
However, in his mid-30s, he suffered a relapse at a party. He confessed: “People were doing lines. I thought, ‘Maybe I can just do one or two’. The thing with addiction and trauma is that if we don’t address the issue, it just stays there underneath, percolating and at some point, it’s going to come out.
“When I did those lines, it felt like this tidal wave of emotion and guilt and shame – things I hadn’t addressed when I was younger. Then all of a sudden I was doing drugs to feel numb – that’s when things get really dangerous.”
The subsequent years are a blur for Joe. He had another stint in rehab in 2005, followed by his first arrest in 2007 for possession of drugs with intent to distribute. In 2011, he remembers being introduced to heroin by his then-girlfriend. He admitted: “Before I knew it, I was wired. I didn’t even enjoy it – I was just doing it to numb myself.”
Joe’s life took a downward spiral when his daughter was born in 2014. Trapped in an abusive relationship and struggling with addiction, the news of his daughter’s impending adoption sent him spiralling: “I thought I had no recourse, so I really went off the rails.”
By 2016, Joe found himself homeless, resorting to theft for survival and battling suicidal thoughts. He believed his quickest path to recovery lay through Nanaimo Correctional Centre, prompting him to rob a bank. Disguised with a wig, bandana, and sunglasses, he walked into Scotiabank in Sechelt, British Columbia, and handed the cashier a note.
His arrest three days later was a welcome relief. He pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and received a sentence of two years less a day.
“I was in a really bad place and I knew about this therapeutic community, Guthrie House, inside the prison,” he remembered. “It was such a relief when I got arrested.”
While awaiting trial, Joe began methadone treatment to combat his heroin addiction. He spent his time meditating, practising yoga, playing chess and drawing pictures for his daughter.
After six months, he was transferred to Guthrie House, where he felt ready to begin healing. Nearly a year later, he was released into the facility’s external programme before transitioning into a “third stage” house.
Keen to get a formal education, he took a criminology course in jail then once out, he completed his high school diploma equivalency. Most importantly, he reconnected with his daughter.
He told the Star: “We’re bonding quite a bit. We have this really amazing family dynamic where she knows she has two dads and that it’s ok and everybody’s good with it.”
Joe doesn’t point fingers at his early fame for his troubles, but he does recognise its influence on his life. Admitting the cost of his on-screen years, Joe reflected: “I missed a lot of my childhood. From eight to 14, I was acting. Those are fundamental years for growing into an adult – learning how to have relationships.”
The spill-over effects from his acting days into real life became apparent as he recounted: “In film it’s all imaginary. I realised, I just started playing the part for people – for a girlfriend, teacher, counsellor, my mum.
“I felt like I didn’t have an identity for most of my life. I had no idea who I was underneath the masks. But I’ve come out the other side and I embrace who I am now.”
With newfound clarity, he insisted: “I know I’ve done bad things, but I’m not a bad person. I have regrets, but I know I can’t change things in the past, so all I can do is try to be better from today and share my experiences in the hope it might help someone get through something.”
The making of Life After the Navigator, directed by Lisa Downs, handed Joe the chance to narrate his tale. The process also led to reunions with director Randal Kleiser, producer Jonathan Sanger, and co-stars Veronica Cartwright and Cliff De Young.
The documentary isn’t just a personal tale. It’s a tribute to the enduring movie, its influence, and its enduring legacy.
Joe said: “Every time I share it reminds me that the past doesn’t control my life any more, that the past doesn’t define me and that the memories of me don’t define who I am.
“That last one’s super important because it’s easy to focus on what’s happened and who we’ve been in the past so much that it defines who we are in the present. Once I learned to let go of who was in the past, I became a totally different person.”
Since the acclaimed documentary premiered in 2020, Joe has been busy with various short film projects, contributing both behind the scenes and on camera. He has pursued acting classes and is actively involved in voluntary support work.
“Acting’s something I’ve always loved and I’ve always wondered if it was something I could do again,” he enthused. “I’m just going to do it because I love it, not with any goal in mind, because you follow your heart and success follows.”
With the 40th anniversary of Flight Of The Navigator next year, he hinted at future plans: “Maybe we’ll approach Disney and see if we can make this sequel happen. Try for 2026 – the 40th anniversary…”
