Alec Baldwin revealed during a recent episode of Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction, a podcast hosted by Dave Manheim, that he experienced suicidal thoughts following the second round of charges in the fatal shooting incident on the set of his film Rust. The actor, who was ultimately cleared of all charges and cannot be retried, shared his struggles with mental health during this difficult time.
Baldwin expressed his concern for the impact the charges had on his family, particularly his wife and children. "The people I was most concerned about, the people that I had the deepest pain for, were my wife and my kids," he said. "Because my kids would see me sitting in a corner, you know, I couldn't even move."
The actor also shared that he entered a period of intense mental distress where he took a daily nap for an entire year. "I don't want to dwell on this, but I must say it was incredibly painful for my wife, my family, my sisters and brothers, my colleagues... It broke every nerve in my body, spiritually, financially... It took at least 10 years off my life," he added, referencing the date of the fatal shooting.
Despite these dark thoughts, Baldwin credited his wife, Hilaria, and his family for helping him through this difficult time. "When you get to that point where you think, 'I don't want to wake up another day, I'm gonna go' — I swear to God, I mean, talking about it is unappealing to me because it's a profound distinction between talking about suicide and actually committing suicide. I remember laying in bed and thinking, 'Oh God, I can't wake up another day and have it be the same. It's the same every day. And I can't do it.' But somehow I found the faith in God to not kill myself tomorrow. Let's wait one more day," he said.
Baldwin also expressed his belief that the production followed the regulations set by Hollywood guilds but was later told by New Mexico prosecutors that different rules applied. "No one came to me in the first week we were handling firearms. No one came and told me anything different. It was after the fact. All the rules were changed after the fact, and that was very scary to me. I thought they were going to make it up as they went along," he said.
In the same interview, Baldwin turned his attention to President Trump, whom he portrayed on Saturday Night Live for four years. While he admitted he didn't "want to play Trump every weekend for four years," he did it due to his friendship with SNL mastermind Lorne Michaels. "Overall, it was a good experience. Those first two years were glorious, but you look at people who are made fun of on SNL. Comedy is all about mockery now. It's all about mockery," he said.
Baldwin noted that very few comedians aren't "mean-spirited" and cited Ray Romano as an example. However, he said that much comedy nowadays tends to be "negative." "But you look at Trump. And you say to yourself, Trump's a human being," Baldwin continued. "Now, do I disagree with Trump about everything? I disagree with Trump about everything you could imagine. But at the same time, he's a human being, and his mistake was when he was wounded, when he was hurt, when he was dismissed, when he was mocked, when he was outed or whatever. What was his response? That's the lesson for all of us. What's your response? Do you try to get up and clean yourself off and move forward? No, Trump is bitter. He's filled with hatred. He's filled with bile, and he only made it worse for himself."
Baldwin also recalled being at a dinner party and sharing his belief that comedy about Trump is "over" — not because it's scary but because "it's just done." "What else can you possibly say? If you're still watching a nighttime talk show and laughing at jokes about Trump
