10 Questions for Alec Baldwin
By Josh Tryangiel
What do you think of Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin? --Katherine Thomson, New York City Oh, my God. It was so perfect. She really is an incredible actress. She came into 30 Rock having done the news segment on Saturday Night Live and some writing, and the more she goes out there on the ice, the better for her, because she can do just about anything.
Are Jack Donaghy and Liz Lemon going to hook up? --Scott Jorna, London Well, if they do, I hope they read my book about the pitfalls of high-conflict divorce. No, they're not going to hook up. The formula is better when they don't. Keep people wanting them to hook up, because once they do, the tension is gone.
Would Blake from [ITALIC {Glengarry Glen Ross}] and Donaghy get along? --David Reichwein, Indianapolis I don't think the two of them would get along, because in [writer David] Mamet's world, human beings really behave like animals. They slaughter each other and eat each other and hunt each other and so forth. That's the opposite, I think, of Donaghy, because as pompous as he is, he avoids conflict as much as possible.
Your self-confidence is almost intimidating. Do you make a conscious effort to project it, or does it come naturally? --Mauricio Beltran, Chicago Well, that's not naturally who I am, you know. I understand what you're saying, but I don't think all the films I've made have been that way. The ones that I made that were more vulnerable, people never see.
Do you ever regret not continuing in the role of Jack Ryan? --Robert Urquhart, Chicago No. I've learned in this business that if you regret the decisions you make, it's really tough--because there's a lot of them.
The phone message that you left for your daughter Ireland was widely publicized. Would you do things differently if you had another chance? --Kate Delacour, London There's a lot of things I can say about that, but it's safe to say, I'd never done that in my life before. The book talks about the way I've been treated, being inside of a system where there was never any acknowledgment of my rights as a father--none. I had been living with this for seven years. Obviously, as most people can deduce, I was really speaking to someone else on that voice mail.
Would you ever get married again? --Catherine G. Pilie, Covington, La. Oh, Catherine. I need my pill. No, I think marriage is great. My friends who are married and who are happy, they're getting everything out of life you could have. Do I ever think I'll get married again? I don't know. I'm older now. Meeting somebody and getting married, it's tough.
How do you feel about your brother Stephen's conversion to Evangelical Christianity? --Nicolas Christy, Austin, Texas If it wasn't political, I probably wouldn't have anything to say. But the Evangelicals who say AIDS is payback for homosexuals--you don't see liberals saying Hurricane Ike is payback for the Bush family living in Texas. I think that my brother really is very devout and very dedicated, and none of that bothers me until it becomes political.
What did you think of your puppet in [ITALIC {Team America: World Police}]? --Mahmoud Salem, Cairo I thought Team America was so funny. Kim Jong Il would say, "You are usewess to me, Awec Bawdwin." And I'd go to school with my daughter, and her classmates would say that as I walked by. I hear these little kids go, "You are usewess to me, Awec Bawdwin." And I'd be looking at them like, Ha, ha, great-- back at you there, Kim Jong. I thought that movie was hysterical. Those guys are insane.
Which one of the Baldwin brothers is your favorite? --Sally Verno, Williamson, N.Y. In my family, it changes on a six-month cycle. We all pick one member of our family and trash that person, and then it rotates. So I would say right now my favorite Baldwin is probably my brother Daniel.