Family man Alec Baldwin talks ‘Boss Baby’ sequel
He dishes about who’s the boss at home and whether more babies are on the way.
Alec Baldwin brought business swagger to diapers voicing the titular “The Boss Baby” role four years ago, an infant formula that resulted in $500 million in worldwide box office and a 2018 best animated picture Oscar nomination. He wasn’t satisfied. ● “When it lost, I was actually (ticked) off,” says Baldwin of the Oscars. “I couldn’t believe it.” ● So when director Tom McGrath said it was time to swaddle-up for a sequel, Baldwin didn’t hesitate. “The Boss Baby: Family Business” (in theaters and streaming Friday on Peacock) features Baldwin’s return as one-time Baby Corp secret agent Theodore Templeton, joined by a baby new agent (Amy Sedaris) to stop a nefarious global plot by scheming educational guru Dr. Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum).
Baldwin, 63, brings enhanced, Method-like baby experience as his brood with wife Hilaria, 37, has increased to six with the addition of Maria Lucia, a surrogate birth announced on Instagram in March (along with Carmen, 7, Rafael, 6, Leonardo, 4, Romeo, 3, Eduardo, 9 months. Baldwin has a daughter Ireland, 25, with ex-wife Kim Basinger).
The day before showing off the bountiful offspring in full “Boss Baby” attire at the premiere, Baldwin opined to USA TODAY about the sequel and the burgeoning family business.
Question: Was there a scene at the 2018 Oscars when ‘The Boss Baby’ lost (to Pixar’s “Coco”)?
Alec Baldwin: No, no no. You applaud for the winner, and then backstage we were like, “Come on!” I thought we deserved to win.
Q: ‘Boss Baby 2’ mentions overcoming film difficulties in the credits. Was that a pandemic reference?
Baldwin: We had already started voice recording, but COVID disrupted everything. We wound up recording from home on my laptop. It all worked fairly well. But I’m not a computer aficionado or tech person. We got through it, which is a miracle because there’s a lot of projects that aren’t out.
Q: Recording at your Long Island home during the pandemic, were there accidental cameo kid moments?
Baldwin: It went beyond voice cameo. Carmen would walk in, sit down on my lap, look at the camera and go, ‘Hello.’ Carmen just assumes she’s the honored guest whatever her father or mother are doing online. The boys were much more run in, look around, say “this is boring” and leave. But Carmen, she’s ready for her close-up.
Q: ‘Boss Baby 2’ alludes to a coming baby revolution. When do you feel overmatched?
Baldwin: We’re still holding the fort, my wife and I. The babies have not taken over the world. Although there are times we wonder how much longer we can hold the fort.
During COVID, Carmen decided to become a painter in the sunroom, which has these beautiful stones with radiant heat underneath. Carmen splattered paint everywhere in her studio. Paint that would probably cost me six figures to have removed from some Hamptons contractor. We decided to just leave it. That’s going to be the floor of our dining room. We’re going to lie, tell people that we recovered the stones from a barn where Jackson Pollock had painted. We’ll see how long we get away with that.
Q: Were there rules for alone time, especially at home for 14 months?
Baldwin: That’s futile. My wife and I have created a reality for them where we welcome them to talk to us, tell us what they’re thinking. They’ve taken that to 24/7. You’re in the shower, you’re on a conference call, they don’t care.
Q: ‘Boss Baby 2’ features a grown Theodore with a mullet. Do you have a hidden stash of ’80s mullet photos?
Baldwin: There are no real photographs. There may be doctored photographs that will now turn up. I’m not a mullet person. I don’t wear baseball caps or jeans. Never owned a pair of jeans. There’s certain things I have an allergy to. Mullets are definitely on that list.
Q: Then what’s your regrettable hair period?
Baldwin: I did the (1992) movie “Prelude to a Kiss” with Meg Ryan. One of the reviews stated, “Mr. Baldwin’s hair is dyed so dark, one wonders if it’s going to be a plot point in the movie.”
I love that line. My hairdresser Louis Licari, of the famous New York salon, told me, “Alec, if I dye your hair any darker, it’s going to turn purple like eggplant.” Like it is going to go into a whole other dimension.
Q: I’m going to ask if that dye period has ended, as you appear undyed.
Baldwin: I am undyed, thank you.
Q: With two recent babies, is this it for the family?
Baldwin: Like a lot of people, there’s even an unconscious element to it, when you’re not thinking about and the last baby turns 1 to become a toddler. The moment they cross over, you tend to look at your partner like, “Wow, maybe it’s time for another baby.” If you’re on the baby train, which we have been on – we’ve had a lot of kids very quickly.
Five children and a surrogate daughter, as my wife has been very public about losing two children to miscarriage. To me, this has been the miracle of my life. I never dreamed in a million centuries that I would be in the situation I’m in now. It’s been amazing.