Ok, so he wants to be William now--but that's the only formal thing about this beguiling Baldwin
William Baldwin has discreetly entered CNN's New York headquarters, but somehow the female employees there know about it instantly. Their heads pop up sharply from their cubicles, like so many gophers. As he takes a seat, a brazen few stand close by, sneaking looks and talking just a little too loudly. For William, ( no " Billy ", please ) has that magical quality that the French call I Don't Know What.
Right now he is effortlessly
working the room. As he waits to do his CNN spot, he talks about his latest film, Brotherhood of Murder, a Showtime orginal movie about an Aryan paramilitary group. Suddenly he bounds from over to the makeup room to talk to a random Esquire reporter about his beloved Creative Coalition,a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people social and political issues, specifically in the areas of the First Amendment and arts advocacy. " I'd be happy to send you some more information, " he is saying.
" I'm doing three interviews at once, " he says cheerfully, returning to his seat. Baldwin appears to thrive in this atmosphere of controlled chaos. There is an almost mayoral quality about him. The 36-year-old actor has a crisp, solid handshake and a direct gaze, and he speaks clearly and firmly. Tall and straight-backed, he is much more handsome in person, with his perfectly faded jeans and navy overcoat. On his feet he wears brown clogs--which sounds dubious, but somehow it works. " These are made in Denmark," he points out helpfully. " You can get them at Harry's Shoes, on Broadway. "
It's hard to imagine this nice young man playing a racist member of a bloodthirsty vigilante group. Brotherhood of Murder, which also stars Kelly Lynch and Peter Gallagher, is based on the true story of one Tom Martinez, a member of the Order, an antigovernment Neo-Nazi group. The group embarks on a bloody crime spree that results in the murder of the Jewish talk-show host Alan Berg as well as the largest armoured car heist in history. Baldwin plays Martinez, who eventually cannot condone the actions of the Order and teams up with the FBI to lay a trap for the group.
Martinez acted as a consultant for Baldwin on the role. " He wasn't allowed on the set, for the insurance reasons, " Baldwin says. " He's living a clandestine lifestyle now. He has a new identity. " The tale of Martinez's life intrigued Baldwin. " Clearly, there are a thousand and one scenarios for how someone can slip through the cracks, " he says. " I'm fascinated by each individual story. I'll walk down the street and see a homeless person, and I'll want to stop them and say, ' How did this happen? Where's your Mother? Are you physically ill? Mentally ill? And this is what I wanted to know about Tom. How could this have happened? "
Baldwin and Martinez had some lengthy talks. " I had a very different upbringing from Tom. My father, who passed away [ in 1983 ], had several degrees and was a community activist, and both of my parents were very hands-on, " he says. " Tom was a tenth-grade dropout who got thrown out of the Army, had difficulty getting a job and grew increasingly disenfranchised and bitter. " Baldwin's unblinking gaze grows more intense.
" But the most important story isn't in the film--it's the story of what he's done with his life since then. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to what he's done. He wants to give back and be of service, and he can do that very easily. All he has to do is say, ' Let me tell you the story of my life, man. " Tom was a racist but I don't think he was into a campaign of domestic terror. They were going to poison the L.A. County water supply. "
All of a sudden, he pauses. " Um, you've got something on you're face. " He peers at me. So do others on the CNN staff. " Oh, Lord, what is it? " " You have to go look in the mirror. Oh, boy. " He stops talking. I take the walk of shame to a nearby mirror. Turns out that my pen had burst and I have it smeared all over my face. Baldwin, bless him, springs up to grab some tissues. " Remember this when you're about to write something embarassing about me, OK? " Fair enough.
Thankfully, a producer from CNN materializes. " Are you ready? " he says. Baldwin, it appears, is always ready. He jumps up and heads down the hall to the set. A minute later, the cameras roll, and he fires off a perfect sound bite about the work of the Creative Coalition. When he is done, his female host, who has been the soul of professionalism, can't help herself.
" That's a nice sweater, " she flirts. " That's a nice color. " " Thank you, " he says giving her the firm-handshake-and-direct-gaze combo. Why is there a political air about him? Maybe it's because the Baldwin family, like the Kennedy clan, is pretty much public domain at this point. The boisterous brothers from Massapequa, New York--Alec, William, Stephen, and Daniel--seem like the neighbors down the block. " I adore Billy, " says Lynch, who costarred with Baldwin in the 1993 romantic comedy " Three of Hearts. " " He's not just a goofy movie star advocate for this or that--he's really powerful and educated and knows what he's talking about. I can definitely see him holding political office. He's somebody who can get President Clinton on the phone. "
Baldwin had a happy upbringing, filled with sports and friends and school activities. His first concert? Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden. His first drink? " Probably beer. I didn't
really party until college, " says Baldwin, who graduated from the State University of New York at Binghampton with a degree in political science. " My friends { in high school ], used to drink ' rocket fuel '--they'd take, like, every bottle of alcohol and pour it into a Hellman's mayonnaise jar. "
Now Baldwin is primed to have kids of his own. He and wife Chynna Phillips, are going to have a baby in March. At the moment, they're renovating their New York City home to include a nursery. " I have lots of stuff going on, " he says, perhaps unnecessarily. Phillips, formerly of the singing group Wilson Phillips, is content to be a homebody for now. " She's married, she's in love, we've been together for ten years, we're having a child, it's very stable, " Baldwin says. ( It isn't hard to figure out why the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips, of the hard-partyin' group The Mamas and The Papas, might want a bit of quiet time. )
Baldwin checks his watch. On to the next activity! He grabs his coat and breezes out of CNN and into the lobby. " Billy Baldwin! " cries a security guard. " One of my favorite actors. My wife likes you, too. "
" Thank you, " Baldwin says. He waits for his car. Tonight he is off to dinner with some high school friends from Long Island to discuss a scholarship that he has set up in his late father's name. " If you need anything else, let me know, " he says with another handshake. " Do you need a ride ? Are you set with the information on the Creative Coalition? " Then, in a flurry, he is off. Is his energy healthy or demonic? It's hard to decide. All I know is, I'm exhausted. Plus, I have to go get the rest of this ink off my face.
Jancee Dunn is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone.
