Kim Basinger is going the extra mile in transparency.
The “8 Mile” actress, 68, is opening up about her “heavy duty” divorce from Alec Baldwin and the impact it had on their daughter, Ireland, as the two get candid about anxiety and mental health.
“We went through a heavy duty, out loud — when you’re in the public — divorce. And she had to go through that very rough time,” the Oscar-winning “L.A. Confidential” star said this week on “Red Table Talk,” pointing to 26-year-old Ireland.
Basinger scoffed when asked whether she and her ex-husband, 64, had seen “eye to eye” on Ireland’s anxiety.
“No,” laughed Basinger. “Alec’s a funny one. You know, we’re all fine. We all get along, whatever. But he’s a challenge. I mean, c’mon. We’ve had our challenges. And I don’t think Alec was emotionally or mentally available for that kind of talk. Alec operates in a very different way in his life.”
“He deals with anxiety greatly,” added the younger Baldwin. “But he’s someone who grew up in a family that would suppress that as well or tell him he’s weak for feeling that way. … He’s gotten way better. I think he really suppressed his anxiety like up until pretty recently. He’s really been dealing with things that kind of have been thrown at him. He’s been forced to finally deal with these things.”
Baldwin’s comments were an apparent allusion to her Emmy-winning dad’s involvement in the October 2021 shooting on the set of “Rust,” which saw the actor holding a gun when it went off and struck cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and director Joel Souza. The shooting is still under investigation.
Baldwin has adamantly denied knowledge of how a live bullet ended up on the set of the film, telling ABC News in December: “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
Basinger and the Oscar nominee divorced in 2002, nearly 9 years after tying the knot. Their daughter was 7 at the time. The “30 Rock” star remarried in 2012. He and yoga instructor Hilaria Baldwin, 38, announced last month that they are expecting their seventh child together.
