Alec Baldwin has shared his experiences with mental health challenges over the past year and discussed the impact of the Rust shooting incident on him and his family.
The actor has been open about his struggles with mental health in recent years. During a recent appearance on the Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction podcast with host Dave Manheim, the 67-year-old discussed his experiences with depression and other health issues.
Baldwin attributed much of his turmoil to his involvement in the incident that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. In 2024, he faced involuntary manslaughter charges in New Mexico for the second time.
This followed the 2021 incident on the set of the film Rust, which resulted in Hutchins’ death. Although Baldwin was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, those charges were dropped three months later.
During the podcast, Baldwin expressed deep concern for his family, stating: “The people I was most concerned about, the people I had the deepest pain for, were my wife and my kids.
“I don’t want to dwell on this, I just want to say that this was very painful for my wife and my family, my sisters and brothers and so forth, my colleagues.”
Baldwin shares eight children with his wife Hilaria Baldwin and has a 30-year-old daughter from his previous marriage to Kim Basinger.
Addressing the toll the incident took on his health, Baldwin shared: “I can tell you, it broke every nerve in my body, spiritually, financially, work-wise, my career, my wife, my kids, my friends, my health.
What it’s done to my health. I mean, if I told you what my health conditions have been since October 21st of 2021 — it’s taken 10 years off my life. It’s taken at least 10 years off my life.”
He revealed that there was a time he contemplated suicide due to the overwhelming stress of the situation.
He explained: “It’s really kind of unappealing to me because to talk about killing yourself and to actually kill yourself are two so profoundly distinctive things. I think a lot of people — I think countless people think about killing themselves and ending their life, and then very few do.
“And for me, I remember, I used to lay there in bed and go, ‘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, you know, not kill myself tomorrow. Let’s wait one more day.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.