Inside Chet Hanks' Wild Ride — and How He Finally Found Peace (Exclusive)

After years of public ups and downs, the oldest son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson is embracing sobriety, getting back into acting and ready to show the world his true self on 'The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets'

After years of upheaval in his personal and public life, Chet Hanks is turning over a new leaf.

"I'm ready for people to see that I'm just a regular guy," the 33-year-old actor exclusively tells PEOPLE from a summer vacation in the Mediterranean while promoting the upcoming season of The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets.

Chet, who is now sober, is excited about his upcoming appearance on the MTV reality series, which premieres on July 23. "I'm happier than ever," he says.

Related: Kim Zolciak Cuddles Up with Chet Hanks as He Calls Her a 'MILF' in Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets Trailer

The first-born son of actor Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson (his half-siblings are Samantha and Colin Hanks, and he has a younger brother Truman, 28) has been in the public eye plenty over the past decade, partly due to his open struggles with addiction and his battle with his ex, Kiana Parker.

Earlier this month, Chet also defended himself and insisted the title of his 2021 song, “White Boy Summer” was not meant to be co-opted by extremist and white supremacist political groups. Additionally, he faced accusations of cultural appropriation after using a Jamaican accent at the 2020 Golden Globes.

But despite his private ups and downs and public controversies, Chet is excited about the future.

“That’s why I signed up for Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets,” he says. "It was honestly one of the best experiences of my life, and I'm not just saying that. I had a blast, and I would do it again in a heartbeat."

He adds, "There was a little drama, but not much!"

Related: Kim Zolciak Says She and Chet Hanks 'Had a Lot of Incredible Moments' on Surreal Life: 'We’ll See What Happens' (Exclusive)

Meanwhile, he's continuing to embrace acting, as well as putting out new music.

"I have a new big role on a Netflix show with Kate Hudson, that will be out around January," he says, referencing his new show Running Point. "I have a great character in it, a great role. It's a comedy, so it's funny and I get to be comedic. I also signed a record deal, and I'm getting ready to put out some new music, and it's different than anything that I've ever released."

Chet says none of this current joy would be possible without getting clean.

"One hundred percent," he says of being sober. "None of this would be possible without sobriety."

"It's not difficult at all," he continues. "What's difficult is when you're trying to manage your life and you're not sober, that's what's difficult. When you just commit and decide and you stick to it, it's not even something that you negotiate with. It's just a non-negotiable. And life becomes extremely easy."

Related: Tom Hanks Opens Up About Son Chet's Struggle with Addiction: 'As a Parent, You Love Your Kids Unconditionally'

Earlier this month, fans got a taste of what's to come on The Surreal Life when Chet and fellow costar Kim Zolciak were seen cuddling up in bed in a trailer for the upcoming season.

Kim previously told PEOPLE she had no idea who Chet was when she met the group, but they quickly connected. She also said that when it comes to what went on between them, fans will just have to “wait and see.”

“Chet's a great guy,” she said. “I mean, he's adorable. We've had a lot of incredible moments throughout the season that you'll see. We've had some deep conversations and he's great."

Those moments, plus many others, are exactly what Chet is excited for fans to see, even though he laughs about what it was actually like to film.

"I mean, there was a little bit of nervousness just knowing I was going to be filmed 24/7... as soon as you wake up, there's a camera in your face, before you even brush your teeth. You're still wiping crust out of your eyes," he says with a laugh.

"But I was just mentally prepared for that going into it. And it was fun. All of it, every part of it," he adds. "There wasn't any part of it that was like, 'Oh man, this is tough to deal with.' I enjoyed all of it. Even waking up and having a camera, boom, right in my face."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer??, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets premieres Tuesday, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.