© Mike Marsland/WireImage - Getty ImagesSimon Pegg has opened up about his struggle with alcoholism while filming Mission: Impossible III as Benji Dunn.
Simon Pegg has opened up about his struggle with alcoholism while filming Mission: Impossible III.
The actor joined the action franchise as Benji Dunn in 2006 and has appeared in every movie since, but speaking recently, Pegg revealed that he struggled with the addiction so much while filming the third movie in LA that he would empty his hotel room mini-bars and be "super anxious" on set.
He told the Headstrong podcast: "I remember being stuck in this hotel room in Beverly Hills. I would drink a lot. I drank my whole mini-bar because I wanted to not feel that way.
"By the time I came on set to do my scenes I was kind of a wreck because I was super-anxious and I'd been drinking.
© Mike Marsland/WireImage - Getty ImagesSimon Pegg at The London Collections: Men
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"When I knew I was in trouble I just kicked the can down the street by having a pint. It's not the way to go."
Opening up about his increasing dependence on alcohol before he sought help, Pegg added: "As long as alcohol was in my blood, I would feel anaesthetised from how I felt.
"Obviously the only problem with that is, you have to stay drunk all the time and that inevitably leads to alcoholism which is where I found myself towards the end of my 30s."
Pegg will return as Benji in the seventh and eighth Mission: Impossible movies, which recently added Game of Thrones and Deadpool stars Indira Varma and Rob Delaney to their cast lists.
© @TomCruise - TwitterFirst look at Mission: Impossible 6
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With Angela Bassett confirmed to be returning for Mission: Impossible 7, Vanessa Kirby recently teased her return as arms dealer Alanna Mitsopolis, aka the White Widow, in both films.
Speaking previously about watching Tom Cruise's "terrifying" stunts, Pegg said: "When we do it, when we watch him do it, we have no idea whether he's going to survive.
"He rides a bike of a cliff and everyone is just there, waiting... checking whether they've got a good canopy. It's terrifying."
Mission: Impossible 7 will hit cinemas on July 23, 2021 and Mission: Impossible 8 will be released on August 5, 2022.
Alcohol Change UK offers information, advice and support with their questions about drinking and the problems that can sometimes be caused by alcohol. For more information, visit Alcohol Change UK's website. Drinkline also offers free, confidential advice to anyone who is concerned about their own or someone else's drinking on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am-8pm, weekends 11am-4pm).
Readers can also contact Drinkaware.
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