Actor Billy McNamara has been in the room for 40 years of Hollywood: "Stealing Home" with Jodie Foster, the serial killer in "Copycat," "Surviving the Game" with Ice-T. He sat for movie nights with Jack Nicholson and Robert Evans, got coached by Anthony Hopkins, and shared a set with a then-unknown Jim Carrey he was sure would never make it.
He also lost almost all of it. In this raw conversation with Tyler Ramsey, Billy traces the binges, the overdose, the years living in his car, two runs at sobriety, and the self-financed comeback he is now championing on his own terms.
In this episode:
The Copycat role that nearly got him fired, and the FBI profilers he tracked down to prepare
How Roddy McDowall sent a coach named "Tony" who turned out to be Anthony Hopkins
"Keep it simple, stupid": the AA line a legend used to fix his performance
The overdose in James Dean's old apartment, and the woman who saved his life
Following a "loner kid" to a Beverly Hills compound and meeting Jack Nicholson and Robert Evans
Why he turned down 21 Jump Street, Melrose Place, and Beverly Hills 90210
The Jim Carrey he wrote off as a "loser" who became Sean Penn in 20 days
Predicting Gwyneth Paltrow would "never make it" while he was homeless in his own car
Getting sober young, relapsing, and coming back at 40 for 21 years and counting
"The Trouble With Billy": writing, directing, and financing his own comeback series
Guest: Billy McNamara. Watch "The Trouble With Billy" free on Red Coral Universe (Apple, Android, Roku, Fire Stick, Samsung). Supporter of the Eastwood Ranch Foundation.
Host: Tyler Ramsey. Punk Rock Sober.
0:00 Raw-Dogging Reality: What Punk Rock Sober Means
1:31 Enter Billy McNamara, Hollywood Legend
2:40 The Movie He's Most Proud Of
3:00 Copycat: How He Almost Got Fired
7:35 Researching a Serial Killer With the FBI's Top Profilers
13:13 Twenty-One Days of Reshoots and a Score of 30
14:17 Roddy McDowall Sends a Coach Named "Tony"
16:01 The Anthony Hopkins Reveal
17:26 "Keep It Simple, Stupid": Wisdom From AA
19:44 The Overdose in James Dean's Apartment
23:00 The Woman, the Window, and the Amends
24:30 A Loner Kid on the Set Named Josh Evans
27:15 Jack Nicholson on the Tennis Court
30:32 Movie Nights With Hollywood Royalty
32:00 The Binge Pattern and Getting Sober Young
34:18 "Every Dream I Had Came True"
35:06 Tyler on the Opportunities He Squandered
39:10 The Roles He Turned Down: 21 Jump Street and 90210
46:48 The Jim Carrey Story Begins
51:00 The Autograph Line at Jerry's Deli
53:33 "By Day 20, He Was Sean Penn"
56:33 Predicting Gwyneth Paltrow Would Never Make It
58:13 Homeless, Living in His Car
58:35 What Finally Got Him Sober for Good
1:00:00 The Trouble With Billy: Championing His Comeback
1:01:30 Eastwood Ranch and Giving Back
If you are struggling with addiction or mental health, you are not alone. Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, US) or SAMHSA at 1-800-662-4357.
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