Alec Baldwin needs a wake-up call.
And not just because he may have taken an Ambien and was transported to a New York hospital. But because not all broken marriages involve mature, responsible adults who take pains to shelter their children from public fascination with celebrity fallout. Alec: it’s time to step up and do the right thing. For Ireland.
Whether his ex-wife tweeted his whereabouts to reporters or not, we all now know (or think we know) about a private matter that should have remained private. Divorce with kids involved invariably raises the emotional stakes and when you add Hollywood’s refracted glare to two former lovebirds: instant bad karma.
Which means every wrong word uttered or action misinterpreted will be showcased in all those tabs we love to hate.
Full disclosure: I have always liked Baldwin. As a fellow-New Yorker, I’ve kept up with his roller coaster film career and loved his family’s involvement with breast cancer causes. But even in his crummiest movies, there was a bad-boy sparkle, hiding a dangerous mien that always fascinated. Ever see “Malice” with pre-Botoxed Nicole Kidman? Worthy of Hitchcock and creepily stunning. “State and Main” was a tour de force with Mamet’s usual characters. Baldwin stole it from some highly credible actors. He’s an actor’s actor who got fed up with the fame game and became involved with terrific causes (breast cancer awareness, clean water, etc.)
And then came “30 Rock” reflecting a network now roiling from bad decisions, plunging viewership and public backlash. Baldwin’s brash character reflects the internal and external machinations that are complicit in network executive planning. And his acting team backs his talent and raises it.
Which is why I was so despondent to read screaming headlines about Baldwin being rushed to the hospital due to an overdose.
You’d think I’d have learned by now not to trust them. Except when they’re right (about John Edwards among other scandals). Of course, those early Brit reports were slightly over-blown, thankfully, and we now learn it was another father-daughter misunderstanding. Point is: kids of divorce need two stable parents dedicated to the child’s well-being, not dedicated to making the other parent look like a crazy person. And he shouldn’t have recorded that unpleasant message to his daughter. But that’s old news.
When Hollywood marriages go south and there are kids involved, please, please, please get as much therapy as you need to resolve personal differences. Then maybe you can get on with your lives without making headlines about your horrible lack of parenting skills.
Otherwise, if Baldwin keeps popping Ambien, he may end up like Liz Lemon, caught on a nanny-cam, sleep-eating in his Spanx and scarfing cigarettes.
