A FEW DAYS ago, Alec Baldwin’s memoir, Nevertheless, was published by Harper Collins.
There he is now. Looking all tortured and moody.
Just days after its publication, Baldwin has found himself embroiled in a scandal over whether or not he knew one of his co-stars was underage when he shot a romantic scene with her.
Here’s what you need to know.
In 2006, Alec Baldwin starred in an independent movie called Mini’s First Time opposite Nikki Reed, who was 16 years old at the time of shooting.
Here’s the IMDb plotline.
A rebellious girl hooks up with an escort agency where her stepfather is a client.
Here's where it gets slightly problematic. Baldwin was 46 years old at the time while Nikki Reed was 16 years old. And, er, the pair had to shoot sex scenes in the film.
In his new memoir, Baldwin claims that he didn't know how young Reed was until after filming had concluded. He alleges that he "flipped out" at producers once he discovered how young she was.
I was forty-seven, and it never occurred to me to ask how old Nikki Reed was. When I found out, just as we finished, that she was seventeen, I flipped out on the producers, who had told me something different.
(Note: Baldwin got their ages wrong here.)
It's worth noting that there isn't actually anything illegal about shooting a sex scene with a minor. Union guidelines permit young actors to shoot such scenes once there is no nudity.
Yesterday producer Dana Brunetti (The Social Network, Captain Phillips, House of Cards) contradicted Baldwin's claims and alleged that Baldwin was aware of Nikki's age the entire time.
Brace yourself for the tweet storm.
Well now.
The film's director Nick Guthe backed up this version of events.
Guthe also defended the film's themes, as well as the age gap between Baldwin and Reed.
Guthe also told The Hollywood Reporter that "we all knew" of Reed's age.
On the set, Nikki, being 16, would often speak quickly the way teenagers do, and Alec asked me about that at times because he had trouble understanding her, and I would remind him, ‘She’s 16.’
Alec Baldwin shot back on Twitter and stated that he found out that he was informed of Reed's age through a conversation with her hairdresser.
Brunetti disputed this and pointed to the fact that Nikki Reed had just starred in the film Thirteen as evidence that Baldwin was aware of how young she was.
He also called upon Brunetti to produce the release forms that would have permitted physical contact with a minor.
On and on, it rumbled...
Such drama.
Perhaps wisely, Nikki Reed has stayed out of the whole thing.
Her most recent post on Instagram is a butterfly flapping its wings.
Elsewhere, Baldwin released a statement on Tuesday apologising for the multitude of typos and errors in his book.
Also, the published edition contains SEVERAL typos and errors which I was more than a little surprised to see. The editors at Harper Collins were, I imagine, too busy to do a proper and forensic edit of the material. Therefore, the first posting here, in the coming weeks, will be an index of corrections and amendments to the text in order to bring it more in line with my original intent.
Never a dull moment, eh?
