Alec Baldwin on Quitting Acting: 'I'd Love To'

In an interview with this week's Vanity Fair, Alec Baldwin spoke about his latest Twitter controversy which involved a tirade against a 'Daily Mail' journalist. In the article, the actor calls the social media site "a waste of time" and maintained that he will "never" go back to it again.

"I went to Jimmy Gandolfini's funeral, and when I was there I realized Jimmy Gandolfini didn't have Twitter," he explained. "Jimmy Gandolfini was so beloved as a person, and he was so admired as an actor, and he didn't give a f--- about social media."

He adds, "It's just another chink in your armor for people to come and kill you. I stopped and said to myself, I'm going to try where I just don't do this anymore."

The actor deleted his Twitter account last Thursday after he was maligned in the press for an expletive-filled tirade against Daily Mail reporter George Stark, who had written a story accusing Baldwin's wife, Hilaria, of tweeting during Gandolfini's memorial service in New York.

The article revealed, "The pregnant yoga instructor's social media feed was full of upbeat posts while the Sopranos star's friends, family and co-stars were gripped with grief at a New York Catholic church. Messages included a request for ideas about wedding anniversary presents and promotional notes about her upcoming appearance on the Rachael Ray show."

Baldwin also shared with Vanity Fair that his greatest wish is to end his days in the public eye and hopes that his soon-to-be born child will never know him as a celebrity. He went on to explain that if this goal entails ending his acting career for good, "I'd love to if I could, yeah. That would be the greatest thing in the world."

Baldwin recently appeared on Broadway in Orphans and has also taken the stage in Twentieth Century, Short Talks on the Universe, A Streetcar Named Desire, Serious Money and Loot, as well as off-Broadway's South Pacific, Macbeth and Prelude to a Kiss. Baldwin is well known for his portrayal of 'Jack Donaghy' on NBC's 30 Rock and will next appear on the big screen in Caught Stealing.

Photo by Jessica Gordon