BEGUILING HOLLYWOOD

BEGUILING HOLLYWOOD


Episode 29. Never admit anything to anybody. Honesty is not the best policy.

December 19, 2020

Lethal stress can come at you no matter whether you’re onscreen or off. Actors in Hollywood have committed suicide by swallowing ant paste, Nembutal, or barbiturates. George Sanders (check out his performance in All About Eve) swallowed five bottles of pills in Barcelona and left two suicides notes. One in Spanish instructing the local authorities to notify his sister of his death, and the other went like this:


Dear World: I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool—good luck.


Directors generally shoot themselves, although some jump from bridges or top floors. What’s all this got to do with me, and the time Antoine decided to call instead of nicking his femoral artery?