Gerard Depardieu is tired of only getting plaudits for his acting — he wants them for his drinking too.
The French movie star, 65, claims he starts tipping drinks back at 10 a.m. and downs “12, 13, 14” bottles of wine a day in an interview with UK film magazine So Film (via the Daily Mirror).
“When I’m bored, I drink. Apart from compulsory moments of abstinence. After bypass surgery, and also because of cholesterol and stuff, I have to be careful,” the actor said.
“Anyway, I’m not going to die. Not now. I still have energy,” he continued.
Depardieu, who is adamant he “can’t drink like a normal person,” went on to describe his daily drinking in detail:
It starts at home with Champagne or red wine, before 10 a.m. Then again Champagne. Then pastis, maybe half a bottle. Then food, accompanied by two bottles of wine. In the afternoon, Champagne, beer, and more pastis at around 5 p.m., to finish off the bottle. Later on vodka and/or whisky.
But the actor, who stars in the upcoming film about Dominique Strauss-Kahn, “Welcome to New York,” said he’s always able to hold it together, no matter how much alcohol he’s consumed.
“But I’m never totally drunk, just a little pissed. All you need is a 10-minute nap and voilá, a slurp of rosé wine and I feel as fresh as a daisy.”
Even though Depardieu claims to have a tough time getting wasted, he openly talked about his affinity for the feeling of being inebriated.
“What I like in being drunk is the moment when you’re alive and enthusiastic,” he said. “Full stop.”
Depardieu showed off his love for the bottle in November 2012 when police in Paris detained the “Life of Pi” actor after he decided to take a drunken cruise on his scooter. He also crashed a motorcycle back in 1998 when his blood-alcohol level was five times over the legal limit. He escaped with his life, but suffered leg and face injuries.
Despite recent bypass surgery and warnings from doctors to lay off the hooch and calm down his lifestyle, the actor said he likes the “euphoria it creates” and doesn’t plan on kicking his habit.
Depardieu’s rundown of his prodigious drinking habits wasn’t the only bizarre admission of the interview. The actor also said he once shot two lions while vacationing in Africa.
“I killed two lions once, and I understand why the lion is the king of the jungle. In legitimate self-defense … I wasn’t there for hunting. I was in Africa for Africa,” he said.