Did Alec Baldwin Really Threaten A Director On 30 Rock?
Let's talk about Alec Baldwin. If you've been following the news, then you are already well aware that the storied actor is in the midst of a tragic scandal threatening to derail his career. Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust," which will ultimately probably never be released. Unfortunately, Baldwin believed the prop gun he was holding wasn't loaded and discovered too late that it was.
Since the incident, Baldwin has been doing his best to lay low but has still found himself in the news, albeit for less dire reasons. His daughter's cat, Emilio, went missing during his family vacation in Vermont earlier this month. He was also heavily criticized for celebrating Halloween as normal with his kids so shortly after the "Rust" incident.
Now, just one month later, Baldwin is back in the news yet again, and this time the reason is much more serious than a missing cat or an ill-timed Halloween costume.
Alec Baldwin has a bad reputation on set
According to a new book about the success of "30 Rock" by Mike Roe, troubled actor Alec Baldwin's temper has been an issue on set for years. In a particularly concerning issue, Baldwin reportedly physically threatened Adam Berstein, who was directing an episode. Baldwin was apparently set off by Bernstein's practice of framing shots using his thumb and fingers before shooting. "According to [editor Doug] Abel, Alec turned to [Bernstein] and said that if he did that one more time, he was going to assault him. And he didn't say it with a smile on his face," Roe detailed, per the New York Post. Roe suggested that Baldwin's temper was the reason Berstein directed less than ten episodes of "30 Rock" and opted not to return for another season.
Other directors have echoed similar sentiments about working with Baldwin. Paul Feig told Roe that Baldwin was "challenging," explaining, "In Alec's case, he was like, I just want to get in and get out, [especially if] you wanted to do something elaborate... more than a few takes." Feig claimed Roe would refuse to do any additional takes if he didn't feel like it at the moment, creating a complex dynamic for directors.
Baldwin has yet to respond to any of the accusations, and it seems like he's trying to do his best to stay out of the spotlight for the time being. He was most recently spotted playing soccer with his kids in the Hamptons, per Metro.