He dodged a bullet when the manslaughter case against him for a fatal on-set shooting was dismissed in July, yet instead of eating humble pie actor Alec Baldwin is only spewing venom.
This time, the New York native has taken aim at his fellow countrymen during an appearance at the Torino Film Festival in Italy. He used a press conference to slam ‘uninformed’ Americans for what he believes to be their collective ignorance on topics such as climate change and Ukraine war.Â
According to boorish Baldwin, Yanks can only handle soundbites of information – typically while mindlessly munching popcorn at the cinema.
‘There’s a hole. There’s a vacuum. There is a gap, if you will, in information for Americans,’ he fumed, demonstrating his ability to employ a synonym. ‘That vacuum is filled by the film industry.’
Yes, that’s the same film industry that has kept him in mansions for near 40 years. You see, as a Brit I admit that we have long assumed a certain cultural superiority over our transatlantic cousins – but this lazy, elitist attack on home turf reeks of unpatriotic snobbery in its highest form.
As the big roles dry up, 66-year-old Baldwin is trying to cast himself as a bookish progressive but his problem is staying in character when a thuggish diva is never far from the surface.
From those disheveled, fist flying outbursts at the press to his infamous indignation at the service in Starbucks, he’s an angry man-child that has always liked his own way.
‘Uptight Queen barrister named JAY has an attitude problem,’ he tweeted in 2011, presumably after his coffee didn’t arrive with a rolled-out red carpet.
He dodged a bullet when the manslaughter case against him for a fatal on-set shooting was dismissed in July, yet instead of eating humble pie actor Alec Baldwin is only spewing venom.
And one mustn’t forget that very angry 2007 voicemail calling his then 11-year-old daughter Ireland a ‘rude, thoughtless little pig’ in the midst of a heated custody dispute with ex-wife Kim Basinger.
Of course, as guest of honor at the Torino Film Festival, his ego stroked by a pointless lifetime achievement award, Baldwin was in his element, desperately indulging his intellectual pretensions while exposing his out-of-touch ignorance.
When asked for his thoughts on the rise of female film directors, he responded that it is ‘a good thing’ – as long as they stick to ‘a comedy or a drama with a lot of talk’. You see, male directors are better for ‘energetic’ films, he explained.
One female name off limits was Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer shot dead at the age of 42 with a revolver Baldwin was using in rehearsals on the ‘Rust’ filmset in 2021.
His appearance this week was reportedly on the proviso that the shooting wasn’t mentioned – yet the saga continues to haunt his declining career.
It might explain why he is having to hawk his Hamptons mansion – now selling for $10 million less than the original price.
It’s also potentially why he is gearing up to do a reality TV show with his 40-year-old wife Hilaria and their seven – yes, seven – children.
His Rust shooitng might explain why he is having to hawk his Hamptons mansion, now selling for $10 million less than the original price.
It’s also potentially why he is gearing up to do a reality TV show with his wife Hilaria and their seven children.
With a Spanish accent as fake as her husband’s pious victim routine, Hilaria hasn’t helped his plight. Boston born, New York University-educated Hillary Lynn has been bizarrely reborn as an honorary Spaniard during her time in the spotlight – famously struggling to remember the English word for cucumber when appearing on NBC’s Today Show and making ‘authentic’ gazpacho.
The couple have tried to reframe themselves as the victims following the tragic Rust shooting, seemingly furious that there should be both any accountability and, God forbid, press interest.Â
It’s led to many tone-deaf appearances – including posing en famille in Halloween costumes in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the sort of family fun sadly denied to Halyna Hutchins, a mother of one.
All crass, naff, insulting. So, Alec, perhaps lay off the attacks on your fellow Americans and look a little deeper – perhaps it’s you who is the ignorant one.