Alec Baldwin opens up about an overdose, and playing the president
Actor Alec Baldwin has opened up about the day in 1984 when he almost died from an overdose — a day which changed his life profoundly.
Baldwin, currently enjoying national acclaim for his spoof of President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live”, spoke to CBS’ “Sunday Morning” in a wide-ranging interview in East Hampton, N.Y., which airs on April 2. Speaking to Rita Braver, Baldwin talked about playing the President, his family, how he got into acting, and a harrowing day and night in 1984, when he essentially overdosed and nearly died.
“I didn’t talk about that much, you know,” Baldwin tells Braver. “That’s a profound part of my life … giving up drinking and taking drugs so early on. I was 26 when I got sober.”
Baldwin’s past is filled with highs and lows, many played out in the public eye. But he’s putting all of that behind him in a new book.
In “Nevertheless: A Memoir” (HarperCollins), Baldwin writes about the actors he’s admired, about growing up on Long Island, his interest in politics, his first marriage to actress Kim Basinger, his battle with cocaine and alcohol, and his recent run-ins with the media.
What did he learn in writing the book?
“It is that the past is the past,” he told Braver. “I’m truly going to bury my past with this book. I never want to talk about my past again.”
Baldwin also takes Braver backstage at “Saturday Night Live” as he undergoes his transformation into Donald Trump, a portrayal that has earned him the ire of the president, and mostly positive comments from the public.
“I’d say that 60-75% of the people that I encounter treat me like I was Jonas Salk and I had cured polio,” Baldwin tells Braver. “They walk up to me and go, ‘My God, thank you! I can’t thank you enough, that what you’re doing is so important!”
The Emmy Award-winning “CBS Sunday Morning,” hosted by Jane Pauley, is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison.
Follow the program on Twitter (@CBSSunday), Facebook, Instagram (#CBSSundayMorning) and at cbssundaymorning.com. “Sunday Morning” also streams on CBSN beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET, and is available on cbs.com, CBS All Access, and On Demand. You can also listen to “Sunday Morning” audio podcasts at Play.it.
For more info:
- alecbaldwin.com
- “Nevertheless” by Alec Baldwin (HarperCollins); Also available in Large Print, eBook and Unabridged Digital Audio Download formats
- “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
- “Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin” (WNYC Radio)
- Follow the Alec Baldwin Foundation on Twitter (@ABFalecbaldwin) and Facebook
- Alec Baldwin on New York Philharmonic Radio
- “The Boss Baby” (Dreamworks)