Alec Baldwin’s acting career has been one of extreme ups and downs. Due to a fatal incident while shooting a film, the future of his career seems completely uncertain.
It won’t be an easy birthday for Alec Baldwin. The Hollywood star turns 65 on April 3. But after a fatal incident while filming the western film Rust, he has been charged with manslaughter since January. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty and a trial date has not yet been set. But the threat of 18 months in prison and a fine, as well as the whole incident in which camerawoman Halyna Hutchins died in October 2021, hangs like a dark cloud over Baldwin.
In the years before, the actor had just worked his way up to the peak of a second career – and seemed to be in top form both professionally and privately. With a satirical role as former US President Donald Trump on the comedy show “Saturday Night Live,” the once critically ostracized Baldwin made a comeback – winning many new fans and becoming a darling of the liberal elite. Even Trump himself wrote on Twitter at the time that Baldwin’s “declining mediocre career” was saved by his Trump impersonation on the comedy show.
Baldwin laid the groundwork for his comeback with an acclaimed lead role on the hit series 30 Rock (2006-2012), plus many other film, television and voice acting jobs, the critically acclaimed interview podcast Here’s the Thing, and the autobiography ” Nevertheless” (in German about: Nonetheless).
Baldwin is from Amityville, New York State. His father was a teacher, his mother a housewife, and the couple had six children. Baldwin’s three younger brothers all became actors as well. After studying in New York, Baldwin made his breakthrough with his role in “The Hunt for Red October” in 1990. “Success scared me more then failure, I was used to that,” he once said. For years, Baldwin struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. He can still remember the date since he hadn’t had a sip of alcohol: February 23, 1985. He was unhappy for a long time.
In addition, there were soon film flops, fewer and fewer role offers and a whole series of negative headlines, among other things because of bullying and fights. Many remember an incident from 2007. In the midst of a divorce and custody battle with Kim Basinger, Baldwin left their daughter Ireland a tirade in their mailbox, calling her a “mean, thoughtless pig”. The recording was made public – and Baldwin was severely criticized from all sides.
In the meantime, Baldwin has apparently made amends. The relationship with daughter Ireland has long been mended, the actor said. Privately, he has also been married to a yoga teacher since 2012, and the couple has seven children. “One single Cirque du Soleil” is at their home in New York, Baldwin once said.
But now the actor is at the second low point of his career. Camerawoman Hutchins was fatally injured in October 2021 while filming the western “Rust” at a film ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Baldwin, who served as lead actor and producer on the film, was holding a gun in rehearsal for a scene when a shot went off. The projectile also hit director Joel Souza in the shoulder, injuring him. Investigations revealed that the Colt had a real bullet lodged in it.
Baldwin has denied any blame: “I didn’t pull the trigger,” the actor said in a TV interview. “Someone put live ammunition in a gun, live ammunition that shouldn’t have been on the premises. Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who it is, but it’s not me.”
Rust, which was suspended after the incident, is scheduled to resume this spring with Baldwin as producer and actor. Beyond that, however, the future of the actor’s roller coaster career seems unclear at the moment.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
