Dennis Quaid has spoken for the first time about his cocaine addiction that threatened to wreck his career. The Dragonheart star said the drug was so prevalent in Hollywood that it was even included in many movie budgets. Quaid said producers would make cocaine available to stars and write it off as 'petty cash' on their budgets.
The actor, who was formerly married to Meg Ryan, said his addiction became so bad he could only start the day by snorting a line of the drug. 'My biggest mistake was being addicted to cocaine,' said Quaid.
'I'd wake up, snort a line, and swear I wasn't going to do it again that day... meanwhile my life was falling apart.'
Quaid said the drug was readily available when he began his Hollywood career in 1972. His early hit films included The Right Stuff and Breaking Away. But he said his addiction began to affect his acting career and he was able to kick his drug habit in the 1990s. 'Doing blow just contributed to me not being able to handle all that fame,' he told Newsweek magazine. Quaid said he cultivated an image as a 'bad boy' but feared he would be dead within five years if he did not stop taking the drug.
The 57-year-old's most recent high profile performance was playing Bill Clinton in the HBO film The Special Relationship with detailed the friendship between the US President and Tony Blair. He also stars in the current film Soul Surfer, which is based on shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton.
Since 2004 he has been married to former real estate agent Kimberley Buffington and the couple have twins Thomas and Zoe. The twins, now aged three, almost died after mistakenly being given an overdose of an anti blood clotting drug at a Los Angeles hospital.
The actor, who was formerly married to Meg Ryan, said his addiction became so bad he could only start the day by snorting a line of the drug. 'My biggest mistake was being addicted to cocaine,' said Quaid.
'I'd wake up, snort a line, and swear I wasn't going to do it again that day... meanwhile my life was falling apart.'
Quaid said the drug was readily available when he began his Hollywood career in 1972. His early hit films included The Right Stuff and Breaking Away. But he said his addiction began to affect his acting career and he was able to kick his drug habit in the 1990s. 'Doing blow just contributed to me not being able to handle all that fame,' he told Newsweek magazine. Quaid said he cultivated an image as a 'bad boy' but feared he would be dead within five years if he did not stop taking the drug.
The 57-year-old's most recent high profile performance was playing Bill Clinton in the HBO film The Special Relationship with detailed the friendship between the US President and Tony Blair. He also stars in the current film Soul Surfer, which is based on shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton.
Since 2004 he has been married to former real estate agent Kimberley Buffington and the couple have twins Thomas and Zoe. The twins, now aged three, almost died after mistakenly being given an overdose of an anti blood clotting drug at a Los Angeles hospital.
