Simon Pegg discusses his struggle with alcoholism during ‘Mission Impossible III’
British actor Simon Pegg has disclosed details of his battle with alcoholism while shooting the 2006 film Mission Impossible III.
Pegg played Benji Dunn in the franchise and reflected upon the dark time in a new episode of the BBC’s radio programme Desert Island Discs. The Hot Fuzz star explained how he suffered a mental health breakdown and turned to alcohol. “You become very sneaky when you have something like that in your life,” he told host Lauren Laverne.
He continued: “You learn how to do it without anyone noticing because it takes over. It wants to sustain itself and it will do everything it can to not be stopped. But eventually it just gets to a point when it can’t be hidden, and that’s when, thankfully, I was able to pull out of the dive.”
Pegg also touched on his friendship with his Mission Impossible III co-star Tom Cruise and revealed they have a “very easy relationship”. He commented: “My relationship with him is just very simple and amiable,” said Pegg. “It’s always been a very easy relationship. I think you realise, when you meet the person rather than the thicket of mythology that’s built up around them, it’s a different experience. I mean, he loves [the fame] and he really relishes it, it’s all he knows. It energises him and spurs him on.”
However, Pegg said it would be an “abuse of my privileged access that I get to him” if he spoke to Cruise about his faith in the Church of Scientology.
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