Actor Simon Pegg is reflecting on the alcohol addiction that he secretly wrestled with while on the set of "Mission: Impossible III," released in 2006.
Pegg, 53, best known for his roles in "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," made regular appearances as Benji Dunn in the franchise since the third installment. It was during that time that he secretly struggled with alcohol.
"You learn how to do it without anyone noticing because it takes over. It wants to sustain itself and it will do everything it can to not be stopped," Pegg said on the latest edition of Desert Island Discs, according to the Independent.
"But eventually it just gets to a point when it can't be hidden, and that's when, thankfully, I was able to pull out of the dive," he continued, adding that it made him engage in secretive behaviors.
"You become very sneaky when you have something like that in your life," he said.
This is not the first time Pegg has spoken candidly about his alcoholism. In 2018, he admitted to The Guardian, that "Mission: Impossible III" was a reminder of what he had to overcome.
"When I watch that film back, I can see where I was then, which was fairly lost, and unhappy, and an alcoholic," he said, noting that it was the start of what he referred to as "the crisis years."
"Because I hid it. I'm an actor, so I acted … all the f*****g time," he said. "One thing [addiction] does is make you clever at not giving anything away.
"People think junkies and alcoholics are slovenly, unmotivated people. They're not – they are incredibly organized. They can nip out for a quick shot of whiskey and you wouldn't know they have gone. It's as if … you are micro-managed by it. But eventually, the signs are too obvious. You have taken the dog for one too many walks."
Pegg said his pivotal point came when his daughter Matilda was born and credits rehabilitation for turning things around.
"I got into it," he said. "I got into the reasons I was feeling that way. I went into AA for awhile, too."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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