Right around the time that Alec Baldwin was spewing vitriolic voicemails at his daughter Ireland, he stated that he was quitting the business to focus on family. According to Alec, the folks over at 30 Rock wouldn’t release him from his contract, so we’ve been stuck with Jack Donaghy ever since. For that I am very thankful.
Now a bit of time has passed and Alec still wants out of this. “I don’t have any interest in acting anymore. Movies are part of my past. It’s been 30 years. I’m not young, but I have time to do something else. It’s a difficult thing to say, but I believe it: I consider my entire movie career a complete failure. I’ll tell you why. The goal of moviemaking is to star in a film where your performance drives the film, and the film is either a soaring critical or commercial success, and I never had that.” Alec, are you nuts? You’re the narrator of the Thomas the Tank Engine movies; if that doesn’t qualify as both a “critical and commercial success” (as well as a personal sanity-keeper for this chick) I don’t know what does!
Of course, Baldwin could go all Cher/Streisand/Stones on us and have one of those fancy comebacks in a few years, but it doesn’t sound like that’s his plan. Although he doesn’t directly admit it, I can almost guarantee you that he’s clearing his schedule so that he can pursue a political career. He’s so Ronnie Reagan, except, you know … a Dem.
Politics? Really? Hmmm. I’ve never noticed him around the political stratosphere more than any other Obama-loving celeb. He’s handsome enough but the whole rude pig thing might make it difficult to get votes from the “Family 1st” brigade!
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! My heart is breaking. BREAKING!
I love this guy, especiallythe fact that he’s kept his fucking trap shut instead of creaming his jeans over Obama like suckass Spielberg and Katzenberg and all the other bergs that brown nose the “Great One”.
Let’s pray he really means it and never comes back.
I don’t know why I sometimes have such mixed feelings about this bungwad. On the one hand, I can’t stand him for childish temper tantrums and juvenile political views (it’s not just because they’re so far left, it’s because they’re so stupidly presented and argued by him). On the other, though, every time I see his work, he amazingly entertains me. For him to consider his movie career a complete failure is inaccurate. While he may have never captured a leading role in a highly acclaimed or successful movie, how can anyone forget some of the great performances he’s done in supporting roles?: Glengarry Glen Ross, The Cooler, The Departed, and Brooklyn Rules…just to name a few. He’s done a lot better than most people in Hollywood, and it’s sad it he is not grateful for that. And just as a footnote, he’s definitely one of the top five guest hosts ever on SNL. While I hope he does himself a favor and choose not to run for political office, I hope he does continue to keep doing TV and movie stuff on some level.
He didn’t even do that great a job at narrating Thomas. George Carlin was much, much better. And Ringo Starr, who has the benefit of the accent the stories were intended for.
Yes, I have spent much too much time immersed in all things Thomas for the last 5 years or so.
Wendie—your posts are too few; your writing is superb and smart! A welcome change of pace in the gossip world!
This sucks… I don’t too much of his personal issues, etc. but I do know that he is superb in is role on 30 Rock. Great delivery, etc. and his departure from the show will certainly be a great loss.