Veteran actor Alec Baldwin is no friend of the paparazzi, evidenced by several run-ins with zealous photographers over the years. This past Sunday (February 17), the eldest of the Brothers Baldwin was involved in another altercation and this time the photographer claims a racial slur was used as well.
Baldwin, 54, told Gothamist that a New York Post photographer assaulted him not far from his East Village apartment. The Emmy and Academy Award-winning actor filed a complaint with the NYPD but a wrinkle in the case is that the photographer accused Baldwin of uttering an unknown racial epithet.
“If you want to paint a picture of me that is a denigrating picture, I’ve seen that,” Baldwin told Gothamist. “If you want to put words in my mouth, I’ve certainly had my moments. But this is not one of them. I don’t think I’ve ever uttered a racial epithet to someone in my lifetime.”
Baldwin went on to explain that as he was returning from the gym, the photographer tailed him and was in an aggressive stance in which the 30 Rock star believes was a “deliberate provocation” to get him to react violently. “I’ve had that happen before. It happens sometimes, because they want to bait you, they want you to do something,” he added.
Baldwin, an active Twitter user, took to the social network to illuminate the situation. “I wonder if the Post will report that I called the police and filed a formal complaint against their “photographer?” he tweeted. Gothamist followed up on the photographer’s slur accusation via Twitter and Baldwin responded with, “Why did the photographer make no mention of this when the cops showed up? Cops make rather good witnesses.”
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Photo: Joe Seer
