Alec Baldwin Once Slammed This Movie as “A Complete Disaster”

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Alec Baldwin is a well-known actor with a decades-long career, having worked with acclaimed directors such as David Mamet and Martin Scorsese on many memorable films. However, not everything he’s been in has been successful, and he’s admitted to making some poor choices in the roles he’s taken over the years.

Alec Baldwin has openly criticized the 2012 musical comedy Rock of Ages. The film, directed by Adam Shankman, tells the story of a young woman, played by Julianne Hough, who moves to Los Angeles hoping to become a star. Baldwin appeared alongside Russell Brand, playing the owner of a rock club named Dennis Dupree.

Shankman shared with Collider that Alec Baldwin was initially enthusiastic about the part. He recalled asking Baldwin what his character would do in the film, and responding with, “You’re a man from the 1960s who founded a popular rock club.”

He recounted a conversation where he told someone, ‘You’ve helped so many people grow, but you’re consistently high. You started using drugs in the 60s and never quit. You’ve been so out of it for the past 27 years that you didn’t even realize you were gay.’ The person immediately responded with enthusiastic agreement. He then described casting Russell in a role as Alec Baldwin’s lover, to which Russell also readily agreed.

Although there was excitement at the beginning, Baldwin eventually confessed the film didn’t turn out well. At a conference for magazine publishers, he bluntly called it “a horrible movie” and “a complete disaster.” He said making the film felt incredibly stressful, admitting just a week in he wondered what he’d gotten himself into, and likened the experience to being on a plane experiencing severe turbulence and engine failure.

I absolutely loved Rock of Ages! It’s based on the stage show, and what really grabbed me was all the amazing 80s rock music they included – songs from bands like Journey, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, and even Guns N’ Roses. It was a total trip down memory lane!

I was really surprised by the cast of this movie – Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Åkerman, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston, and even Tom Cruise! While the film itself got a bit of a mixed reaction, everyone was talking about Tom Cruise’s performance, especially when he sang songs like “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Wanted Dead or Alive.” People actually really loved his musical numbers, even if the movie wasn’t a total hit.

Rock of Ages premiered in Los Angeles on June 8, 2012, and opened nationwide a week later. Despite featuring a well-known cast and a popular soundtrack, the movie wasn’t financially successful, earning only $59 million globally with a $75 million production cost. While the soundtrack reached number one on the Billboard charts, critics generally disliked the film’s story and adaptation of the musical.

Alec Baldwin openly admits that Rock of Ages wasn’t a successful film, proving that even skilled actors sometimes choose projects that don’t pan out. Despite initial optimism and a strong cast, it remains a role Baldwin wishes he hadn’t taken.

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2025-12-22 14:19