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Wes Bentley credits Robert Downey Jr.’s openness about his drug addiction with helping the Yellowstone actor get clean and sober himself.
Wes, 44, who stars as the villainous Jamie Dutton in the popular neo-western, opened for Page six about his efforts to overcome his life-threatening addiction while… at the season five premiere of Yellowstone in New York City on Thursday.
“I was in the deepest grip of my addiction and in the worst place and on the brink of death I guess, or at risk, and I saw him being so bold and brave and open and it saved me,” explained he out.
Clean and sober: Wes Bentley credits Robert Downey, Jr.’s openness about his drug addiction by helping the Yellowstone actor get clean and sober himself, according to Page Six
Robert, 57, was arrested several times on drug charges and sentenced to time behind bars while battling his addiction.
In a 1999 lawsuit, the Iron Man actor described his illness to a judge, saying, “It’s like having a gun in my mouth, and I’ve got my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gun metal. ‘
The Marvel hero has been clean since 2003 and Wes, who has been sober since 2009, said he wants to follow Robert’s lead. “So I thought if I do that, maybe I can pass that on to someone else.”
Villain: Wes, 44, stars as the villainous Jamie Dutton at Yellowstone
Robert, 57, spent some time behind bars after being arrested on drug charges. He once described his addiction to a judge: “It’s like I have a gun in my mouth, and I have my finger on the trigger, and I love the taste of the gun metal” (Pictured in Malibu in July 1996)
Wes started using after starring in the Oscar-winning film American Beauty.
“I never had money before,” he explained, “so there was a lot of combination of things that I wasn’t prepared for.”
“As an actor, I also knew that I wouldn’t really be ready to play good roles until I was in my thirties and forties. So I didn’t want it to happen that early. I tried to go along and hold on, but I wasn’t ready yet.’
Money and fame: Wes said he started using after starring in the Oscar-winning American Beauty. seen with Thora Birch and Mena Suvari on the set of American Beauty
The Hunger Games star confessed in a New York Times 2010 article that he would spend hours looking for drugs, using the money he earned from sporadic roles between 2002 and 2009 to fuel his habit.
An arrest in 2008 and a guilty plea for heroin possession led to a court-mandated 12-step program, but the actor soon relapsed.
It was only in 2009 that he reached the lowest point.
Low: The Hunger Games actor said he hit rock bottom in 2009 and eventually admitted that he was addicted and needed help. Wes went into drug habit and began attending 12-step meetings, a practice he continues today; seen Thursday in NYC
“I had come back to LA for something, and I had a whole bottle of Scotch, and I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to die in this hotel room with this bottle of Scotch,’ he confessed.
He later told a friend, “I am a drug addict and an alcoholic, and I need help. I need help or I’m going to die,” soon went to rehab and began attending 12-step meetings, a practice he continues today.
‘The 12-step meetings helped me a lot. I already believed in God, so that kind of helps – the higher power event.”
Sobriety: Robert Downey, Jr. has been clean since 2003 (pictured November 4, 2022 in Los Angeles)