I tend to oversell certain interviews because even I get surprised by certain celebrities at times. So, not to oversell this, but Woody Harrelson’s Hollywood Reporter interview is one of the most bonkers interviews I’ve ever read. I know precious little about Woody’s personal life. I know he’s married, he has kids, he lives mostly in Hawaii, and he loves (or loved) getting high. Beyond that, Woody has never seemed to partake in the “let me show off my life/family in People Mag” celebrity thing. Maybe that’s why this is so bonkers to me, because Woody dishes about everything, from his arrests, to that time he had a foursome, to how he’s no longer a pot-smoker (but he’s still a weekend drinker). You can read the full THR piece here. Some highlights:
On his infamous 2002 drunken foursome: “I went to this bar in London, and afterward these girls came up to me, these two girls, and asked me, “So you want to take a walk on the wild side?” So I said, “I guess I do.” And then I hopped in the car, and another girl I didn’t even know hopped in. We went to my place, and one of the girls was a razzi [paparazzi] or worked for them, worked for the rags. And she got a photographer to come out. That one girl manipulated the other two. I was bummed when they all left together ’cause I knew it was going to happen [an article]. News of the World, it was. I never read it ’cause I didn’t want to read it.
What happened when his wife found out: “I’m not sure how Laura found out, but she did. I was kind of hoping she wouldn’t see it. I can’t remember the details; I’ve doubtless repressed it. She never saw the thing. But someone told her. Laura — this really gives you a sense of the depth of her compassion — what she said to me after finding out was, “That must be really hard for you, to have this sh-t exposed.” She just said that. Now that doesn’t mean she wasn’t upset. How did I apologize? You know, just your standard Texan grovel. But she forgave me, and we’re still together.
On why he stopped smoking pot: “I stopped smoking pot [14 months ago]. I had some weird reaction, which I looked up later, and it was adrenal exhaustion. I still drink, but I try just to drink on weekends.
A downside to being famous: “And one of the bad things about celebrity — there’s a lot of positives, but one of the bad things is everybody wants to have a shot with you. It’s dangerous to go into a regular bar because I can end up doing a lot of shots.”
On being assaulted by, then assaulting, a cop then going to jail:
My first arrest, the police were really brutal. I was 20 or 21, and I was jaywalking, me and a friend, and this cop flags us over, asks to see our ID. My friend showed his ID, but I said, “I don’t have my ID,” which I did, of course. And he says, “Have you been out to some of these bars? Then you had to have an ID to get in.” I go, “Oh, good point.” So I pull it out, and as I pull it out, he goes, “Don’t lie to me again, punk!” And then he grabbed me, smashed me against the wall a couple of times. I knocked his hands off, pushed him away and started running. And that was the beginning of a real dire episode. He put out an officer-in-distress signal, and soon I’m just surrounded by blue, and they had me down on the ground, knee in my throat. It was so brutal, the way they were handling me. Then they threw me in a paddy wagon, and I’m handcuffed behind my back, and I asked one of the cops, “Why are you treating me like this?” And he slammed my head against the van. They stopped to pick up this other poor bastard peeing on the sidewalk, and when they opened those back doors, I just shot out of there..I’m handcuffed, and I’m wearing boots, and I’m running….And I can hear them all shouting and running after me, and there is a car going across this parking lot. I hit the car, did a complete flip, landed on the back of my head, kept rolling, and then they were on me and they maced the f–k out of me. And when they mace you, you’re done, that’s the end of the story. So yeah, I went to jail, they rough you up a little more, and before it was over, they had six counts against me.
That arrest story… good God. I would say that there’s some white-dude privilege at work there – imagine if a black guy had tried to escape custody/arrest two times – but honestly, it does sound like he was brutalized. I mean, “I hit the car, did a complete flip, landed on the back of my head, kept rolling, and then they were on me and they maced the f–k out of me.” Only Woody Harrelson has stories like that, right?
He also goes on at length about meeting his wife and falling in love with her when she worked as his assistant. He was in love with her – without telling her – for three years, and when he finally told her (with a song!), she was like, “I’ve been in love with you for the past two and a half years, bro.” I guess it’s sweet, but I get the feeling Laura puts up with a lot.
Photos courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.
Sometimes it isn’t “privilege”, it’s just how individuals deal with each other based on how their day went.
sprinkled with about 99.9% privilege ..brutal nonetheless, his story.
Oh nooo, he is a cheater too? I’m bummed 🙁
Most of Hollywood cheats, even supposedly squeaky clean Tom Hanks left his wife for Rita Wilson and straight up admitted it in an interview years ago. The media/public tends to turn a blind eye to the men who do so while they demonize women (ex. it’s part of the villainous Jolie narrative that has been going on for years). It’s actually kind of weird that the media either completely gives people a pass or goes all scarlet letter without an in-between.
*I feel really bad for Woody’s wife. He seems to feel more badly about being caught by the tabs than the actual cheating hurting her. The way the situation happened also makes it sound like it wasn’t the first time he stepped out.
Yeeeahhhh… I agree, he doesn’t tell the story as if it was the only time it had happened.
It’s sad to me for some reason that what he remembers about HER reaction to HIS cheating was that she still felt bad for HIM. Hopefully they’re in a better place now.
I’m sorry, after reading that foursome part. Just no. I never really liked him but I’m sorry, have some self restraint. Your at a bar and are so easily convinced to leave with randos?! Clearly that wasn’t the first time. And the type of person that just puts up with that infidelity…. Is his wife happy with a partner like that? Girl, there really are partners out there that will lavish you with love and NOT bone other people. Woody, you suck.
Yup, plus no way will you have me believe that protection was used in a way that was safe for all four participants.
Hmm I mean he was unfairly beaten up so I wouldn’t call it privilege exactly. I think what he’s describing is all kinds of f-d up but I’m guessing a black guy would have been treated worse.
You are guessing? A black man would have been killed!
How many black men were charged with resisting arrest last year and lived, hhhmmm?
Yea he doesn’t talk about his personal life I think mostly because of the reporter/cheating incident. But anyone that has followed him for a minute knows he was absolutely crazy in his younger days. He’s a lot more mellow now and the most family talk you get is about his kids (and that’s rare).
I remember hearing about the cheating bit and being disappointed but it sounds like they worked past it and it’s been years so I won’t hold it against him. He’s still one of my favorite character actors ever.
I love Woody but he’s a prime example of white, male privilege. People view him as a lovable rascal type rather than a charismatic, probably decent man who nevertheless has some deep flaws. Women in general, POC, and especially WOC could never, ever get away with this type of interview where they openly admit to infidelity without throwing themselves on the public’s mercy, running from the cops, or drug use (even if pot is far more accepted and basically legal at this point).
That said, the cops still brutalized the f*ck out of him (his actions did not warrant that extreme, violent overreaction) and if he was Black he would have been murdered instead of just maced.
I have not read the entire interview, so correct me if I’m wrong (I think it would have been included here if he did say something like that), but he could have expanded that anecdote with saying something bigger about the excessive use of force by many policemen.
So 2 girls say “hi” on the street and he brings them home no question, another stranger pops in and still no pause…. yeah Laura’s probably put up with everything. If her response really was “my poor husband got tricked by randos he met that sold the story,” yeah, she’ll continue to put up with anything.
This whole thing is disturbing. His cheating story is bonkers. He is a married guy and someone comes up to him in a bar amd says hi and next thing you know, he is in bed with girls. And he doesn’t remeber how his wife found out and what happened next. We usually forget what happens when the events in question are of secondary importance for us. So either he is implying that he is a serial cheater or that his wife is not that important to him. And I agree the cops story is a reflection of his priviledge. He clearly wanted some kind of conflict when he decided not to show his ID, just because he felt like irritating a cop?
It really sounds like an open relationship
Read it again. He says it took her time to forgive him meaning she was crossed. This sounds like typical power imbalance. In other words, what happens when an assistant marries her movie star boss. She is probably a mix of mother, fixer and ego stroker who he shares children with. His existence revolves around himself and her existence revolves around him. I guarantee you SHE is not allowed to have a foursome with random men from the club.
This interview makes me like him less. A lot less. Ugh.
They worked through their issues and he seems to be a decent family man now. I don’t see the problem personally.
I love that he has stopped pot. I am so sick of pro-pot people pushing it when so many people are smoking it and messing up their bodies/brains.
I couldn’t agree more on the pot thing. I’m so tired of hearing how it’s a miracle cure for everything, which it is not, and all the other over-exaggerated alleged benefits. Oh but it’s totally not harmful, and not addictive, and it doesn’t affect your driving – yeah, sure.
Really? How are people “messing up” their bodies with pot any worse then they are with alcohol, cigarettes, junk food ect? In my experience it is one of the addictive substances that harms people the least, even when done to excess. Personally I hate that alcohol, the deadliest and most destructive drug on Earth, is glamorized and even pushed as the normal thing to do. But live and let live.
A friend of mine smoked pot excessively, I mean excessively, and had a complete psychotic break. A true psychotic break and was committed to a mental institution. She had been smoking it for a couple of years and lost her mind. I always thought pot was benign and harmless but after this experience and others anecdotally, I’ve changed my tune. As you pointed out, it’s no different than any other additive substance. Alcohol being one of the worst there is. It’s crazy our society is so geared towards it, everything is celebrated with a drink.
I also think the pot that is out there now is crazy! It’s not like the stuff my hippie parents would buy in the 60’s/70’s. This stuff out there now is truly a psychotropic that is no laughing matter.
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I have no problem with people smoking or consoming legalized pot in a responsible matter i.e. not driving etc. The key word being legalized because my country Mexico is being torn apart by cartels and corruption due to the exportation of illegal substances and the number one consumer being Americans. Mexico right now has the highest murder right behind only Syria. My husband who lost his father in horrific way due to the cartels and is now dealing with losing a friend due to this. The day after he reunited with an old friend and spoke with him for hours the friend was brutally beaten then dragged behind a car alive until he was unrecognizable. So if you think that smoking pot is no big deal just think about the people that were hurt or killed just so you could relax.
Still a cheater. When making a movie in Sylva NC he hooked up with a friends daughter. Said girl was not aware he was married.
Not surprised. He had an infamous AMA on Reddit a few years ago where two different people asked him very detailed questions regarding sketchy sexual behavior (in one of the questions, Woody had been banned from a certain campus having crushed a party and left with co-eds). Thats unusual for reddit, its usually bro central. Woody didnt deny either and instead responded to both comments by demanding that they keep their questions to the movie he was promoting, Rampart. So yes, I believe you.
Oh, wow- you made connect a couple of dots. Besides being “low key” about his family for “privacy”, he probably wants a bigger pool of “dates”. Not that there aren’t men/women could care less about hooking up with someone married, but I feel sad for your friend’s daughter because it seems she was duped. Yeah, if the relationship is “open”, his wife probably doesn’t have enough power to say otherwise or tell him to stop.
;I would say that there’s some white-dude privilege at work there – imagine if a black guy had tried to escape custody/arrest two times’ Shut up
Depth of her compassion?? More like lay flatter little doormat. If my husband cheated on me with three women, he’d be dead to me.
In fairness to the reaction to the cheating, she was his assistant for a few years without them being romantically involved so she probably saw it all before she committed to being in a relationship with him. Like she knew what she was getting into, the drugs, liquor, sex, eccentricities. It doesn’t excuse his behavior, but that’s probably, if he’s being honest in his retelling, it wasn’t a deal breaker for her, like it would be with the wife of non-famous person. Also, it was a foursome with randos-all cheating is bad cheating, but there’s a big difference between a random gross hook up and a long term embarrassing affair ( a la Affleck and the Nanny, Affleck and Shookus.)
Meanwhile-the bf and I have been rewatching Cheers and he is downright hysterical. It’s amazing that he played such a cute little goofball and then went on to be a serious actor-and I think he reprised his role on Frasier post-movie fame too. I think his sense of humor should be appreciated-there are actors who like to pretend their breakout TV roles never happened at all.
This is true. Being his assistant, she knew who he really was before they dated. They probably have a different type of relationship than I would be comfortable with, but that’s their business. I don’t think that makes her a doormat. She probably loves him and just understood who she was marrying and made peace with it ahead of time.
Yes I love Woody H circa Cheers. I was really surprised by his range after he moved on to the movies. He was also good in Game Change as Steve Schmidt. If you haven’t watched it go borrow it from the library.
Question Does he seem proud of what he did?
Woody is so fun and such a cartoonish character that makes people love him, but man, in this interview he comes out as such complete Hollywood douche. He marries his assistant because she allows him to do whatever he wants. These idiot Hollywood men-children doesn’t know restraint, sacrifice, respect. They think the fact that they’re *artists* allows them to look down everybody else
I love Woody. I’ve had a crush on him since Cheers, but I think he is exhausting and someone I could probably only take in small doses. His wife is a saint, it sounds like anyone could have a chance with him in the right circumstance with the right amount of alcohol. Again, the wife is a saint or maybe she just likes the life his money affords her and lets it pass. Crazy stuff. I’d become a jealous rage monster.