Alec Baldwin has been in TV and movies for over three decades. He’s well known for his portrayal of Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock and starring in movies like Beetlejuice, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Departed, and more. The actor-turned-host also got a lot of praise for doing an impression of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.
Baldwin’s imitation of the former president undoubtedly boosted the ratings of the US sketch show for years. In addition to that, it has earned him praise, too. But the star regrets being applauded for his portrayal for one specific reason.
Alec Baldwin Expressed Regret for Receiving Applause for His SNL Character
In a video interview with the Guardian, Alec Baldwin, Lisa Kudrow, and director Tom McGrath were present to chat about their animated comedy — The Boss Baby.
It’s when a question was asked to Baldwin – “What do you enjoy more playing Boss Baby or playing Trump?” The actor’s answer was Trump. But there’s one thing that he regrets about playing that role, as he went on to say:
“While doing Boss Baby, what you do, I mean Trump, is the material and the overall dynamic of this thing that we have done with the SNL is very, very satisfying with a lot of people come up to me and say very, very positive and flattering things. And they thank you, I get so many preposterous number of heartfelt thank yous during the day. It is more fun as it is acting – that is we are trying to comment on something and Satirize something. I wish we didn’t have to satirize. I wish things weren’t as bad as they are.”
Baldwin expressed regret about the character of Donald Trump. He enjoys it as an acting gig, but gaining entertainment from politics is what he regrets now because it took the satirization to another level. He wished things weren’t as bad as they are today. But here’s one more twist. Baldwin himself said that there was a time when he turned down this role.
Alec Baldwin Almost Passed on Playing Donald Trump
Alec Baldwin revealed that he nearly turned down an opportunity to play Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live. In an interview with Vanity Fair for its April cover story, the Rust star shared that he initially declined the offer of Lorne Michaels’ offer:
“I was supposed to do a film. And the people who were doing the film were supposed to escrow money to guarantee that I would get paid.”
He continued:
“And they didn’t put the money in escrow. And that’s when I hung up and said I’m not going to go do the movie and I’m going to go do the thing with Lorne. And I think to myself, ‘What if I hadn’t done that?’ … It’s turned out to be this incredible opportunity.”
Baldwin played Trump in 46 recurring guest appearances and hosted it once. He did this between October 2016 and November 2020, which was right before the 2016 presidential election and during the Trump presidency.
Source: Guardian, Vanity Fair
