Alec Baldwin is facing backlash over his bizarre tribute to the late Sam Neill in The Hunt for Red October.
Baldwin, 68, only mentioned Neil in the first 10 seconds and the last five seconds of his speech Monday, after the “Jurassic Park” actor died earlier that day at age 78.
The tribute sparked a wave of backlash online, with social media users accusing Baldwin of focusing on remembering the 1990 thriller he co-starred with Neil rather than honoring the late actor.
“I just wanted to come right here and say how shocked I was to learn of Sam Neill’s death,” Baldwin began the video.
“When we did ‘The Hunt for Red October,’ we were filming it in 1989, and it was released in 1990, so that’s a long time ago.”
Baldwin then reflected on his own filmmaking experience, recalling that the film was one of his first major film roles, praising director John McTiernan, talking about meeting author Tom Clancy, and naming his 14 castmates, including Sean Connery, Tim Curry, and James Earl Jones, but hardly mentioning Neil.
Baldwin, who played Jack Ryan, also recalled the moment when actor Ronald Guttman smoked a cigarette and did a Russian accent before doing an impression of James Earl Jones.
At the end of the video, he finally returned to Neil, who played Captain Vasily Borodin in the film.
“It’s one of the few movies I’ve ever been in that I remember the whole movie,” he said. “That’s why I’m a fan of their work. Not me. I’m not a fan of my work, but I’m a fan of their work.”
“Just, oh my god, Sam Neill. The love for his family and the love for his family,” he added.
X users slammed Baldwin’s tribute, with one commenter writing, “It’s typical Baldwin to say everything about himself even though the purpose is to honor his legendary co-star.”
“Did he forget what he was supposed to say? He didn’t have anything to say about Sam,” another posted.
A third user said: “I think he remembered the purpose of the video in the last 15 seconds.”
But others defended Baldwin’s memorial, with one Instagram follower writing: “You always spoke so calmly and thoughtfully and so kindly about all the people you worked with.”
“He didn’t say much about Sam Neill, but he gave a good introspection about Red October. You should watch it again! Sam Neill was great. I’ve been obsessed with him for decades!” another person replied.
Mr Neil passed away earlier this week at the age of 78, after recently revealing he was cancer-free following treatment for blood cancer.
“It is with great sadness that the whānau (family) of Sam Neill share the news of his passing in Sydney, Australia on Monday 13th July,” Neill’s family said in a statement on Monday.
“Sam passed away surrounded by his family and with the dignity that had defined his life. While his death was sudden and unexpected, the fact that Sam survived cancer was a blessing.”
