Alec Baldwin is facing backlash for his bizarre tribute to his late The Hunt for Red October co-star Sam Neill.
Baldwin, 68, shared the nearly three-minute video on Instagram Monday after Jurassic Park the actor died that same day at the age of 78, but he only mentioned Neil in the first 10 seconds and last five seconds of the clip.
The tribute sparked a wave of online backlash, with social media users accusing Baldwin of focusing more on his memories of the 1990 thriller he starred in with Neil rather than honoring the late actor.
“I just wanted to quickly come here and say how shocked I was to hear about Sam Neill’s death,” Baldwin began the video.
“When I did The Hunt for Red October, we filmed it in ’89, it came out in 1990, a long time ago.”
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Baldwin then reflected on his own experience making the film, calling it one of his first major film roles, praising director John McTiernan, talking about meeting author Tom Clancy and naming the 14 actors, including Sean Connery, Tim Curry and James Earl Jones – while barely mentioning Neil.
Baldwin, who played Jack Ryan, also recalled the moment when actor Ronald Guttman smoked a cigarette and spoke in a Russian accent before doing his James Earl Jones impression.
At the end of the video, he finally returned to Neil, who played Captain Vasily Borodin in the film.
“It’s one of the few movies I’ve ever done where I remember the whole movie,” he said. “That’s how much of a fan I am of this work. Not me. I’m not a fan of my work, but I’m a fan of their work.”
“Anyway, oh my God. Oh my God. Sam Neill. My love for his family, My love for his family,” he added.
Users on X criticized the tribute to Baldwin, with one commenter writing: “It’s classic Baldwin to make it all about yourself, even when the goal should be to honor an iconic co-star.”
“Did he forget what he was supposed to talk about? He had nothing to say about Sam,” another wrote.
“I think he remembered the purpose of the video in the last 15 seconds,” said a third user.
But some people were supportive of Baldwin’s tribute, with one Instagram follower writing: “You always speak so calmly, compassionately and so kindly about all the people you’ve worked with.”
“You haven’t said much about Sam Neill, but good introspection about Red October. I have to see this again! Sam Neill was great. I’ve had a crush on him for decades!” answered the other.
Neil died aged 78 earlier this week after only recently revealing he was cancer-free following treatment for a blood cancer.
“It is with great sadness that Sam Neil’s whānau (family) share the news of his passing on Monday, July 13, in Sydney, Australia,” Neil’s family said in a statement Monday.
“Sam was surrounded by family and left with the dignity that characterized his entire life. The loss was sudden and unexpected, but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free.”
This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.