I dont care what anyone says. I know that Im a damn good actress ... And I know that in my past I was young and irresponsible -- but thats what growing up is. You learn from your mistakes, says Lindsay Lohan in her October Vanity Fair interview, out September 7.
Oh, Lindsay. Honey. Sweetheart. Of course you are a good movie actress. You proved that back in Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, and I loved you with Meryl and Lily and Garrison -- why couldnt he be your dad for real? -- in Altmans Prairie Home Companion.
But this is about sobriety. Can you act like youre sober? You have to fake it till you make it. And if that means not going to clubs or hanging out with your old friends and going to 12-step meetings and making new friends and getting a sponsor and going out for pancakes after the meeting, then thats the show you have to put your heart into, darling.
For instance, its a mistake to go to Chateau Marmont and hook up with old friends practically your first night out of rehab, or any time in the future. Especially if you have said in an interview that if getting your career back on track means staying away from the clubs that is what you will do. So, Lindsay, why didnt you do it?
OK, your dad is a jerk and you probably have post traumatic stress disorder from exposure to him since every time he is around there seems to be an explosion of some kind. He says he is going to ban all prescription drugs in the ideal rehab center he envisions in the future because spiritually, holistic methods, and God can cure anything. Really? Really, Michael?
Cause Im gonna guess that you were off your meds when you were arrested for domestic violence against your former fiance; and against your fianc before that. I did not see signs of spirituality in those instances. Sigh!Lindsay, youre not really getting the first step. And the first step is this: You have to admit you are powerless over alcohol and your life has become unmanageable. And it really has. I hope you will get it, because you have an actors sensitivity for ferreting what makes a character real and you can do this.But, again, to say, Ive admitted to the things that Ive done -- to, you know, dabbling in certain things and trying things cause I was young and curious and thought it was like, O.K., cause other people were doing it and other people put it in front of me." Sorry, Lindsay, thats not good reasoning or even good acting. Other people were doing it and put it in front of you? Thats why you dont hang out with people like that -- because they are doing it and putting it in front of you.When we hear about Paris Hilton being picked up for possession of cocaine in a baggie that fell out of her purse as she pulled out her lip gloss after she was stopped for driving in a cloud of marijuana smoke, we are not surprised. Paris cannot act and no one believes for one moment that she thought a baggie of cocaine was a piece of gum. Nor do we care because we never cared about Paris as a character or as a young actress making her way in the world.
Born with a silver spoon -- and who knows what she uses that for -- shes not our girl. She doesnt have the bad dad, the single mom, the gumption, the freckles you had in The Parent Trap (where did they go?). We are rooting for you, Lindsay. Relapse is part of recovery. Alcohol and drug addiction are chronic diseases. Robert Downey Jr., another young actor in his time, served a prison sentence for drug charges, changed, and got an Oscar. I think you can too. But just for today put your energy into sobriety, not Linda Lovelace or some other movie role that other people want you to do. Take care of Lindsay. Britney is re-appearing after her slump and looks healthy. Youve got to want to be you before you can entertain us again as someone else.Judy Kirkwood is a Parent Ambassador for The Partnership for a Drug-Free America as well as a member of their Parent Advisory Board. View Photos of Lindsay Lohan
