Three times Academy Awards nominee and the phenomenal actor who’s equally brilliant
in playing ruthless villains and noble cops…
Or a rageful rebel and the son of a contract killer?
Actually, it’s all about Woody Harrelson.
The actor paved his way to success through accepting horrifying family secrets, a long
line of professional flops, poor life in a turbid haze of smoke and numerous encounters
with the law.
He could have been a Texas cop but ended up being one of the most wanted actors in Hollywood.
How come?
Let’s figure out.
Have you already seen “Venom 2” set photos of Woody Harrelson as supervillain Cletus
Kasady?
If no – let us help you!
As a matter of fact, Harrelson plays psychopaths like no one else!
Could you imagine the roots of this talent might have grown from the dark real-life stories?
One of them is about Harrelson’s father, Charles, who disappeared from the family home
when Woody was only seven years old.
It was probably the best thing he did for Woody and his brothers.
You wonder why?...
Charles Harrelson was a key figure in the world of organized crime.
In other words, he was...
A professional hitman!
According to Woody, he had lost track of his father until 1981, when the news broke that
his father was arrested for the murder of federal judge John Wood Jr.
Charles Harrelson was sentenced to two life terms but tried to escape in 1995.
The attempt was unsuccessful, and shortly after he was transferred to Supermax prison
in Florence, Colorado, where he died in 2007 of a heart attack.
During an interview with “People” in November 1988, Woody revealed that he visited his father
regularly in prison.
Besides, he opened up about his mixed feelings towards his dad:
“This might sound odd to say about a convicted felon but my father is one of the most articulate,
well-read, charming people I’ve ever known.”
Probably, Charles Harrelson's occupation left some marks on Woody’s personality.
In the 2017 interview with “The Hollywood Reporter” Woody described himself as “a
happy guy with a lot of rage, emotional problems and tantrums”.
The actor also mentioned that he has always lived on the edge, and it’s…
Well, undeniable.
Woody Harrelson and his two brothers were raised in a very poor Presbyterian household
and could only rely on their mother's modest wage.
Young Harrelson spent summers working at a local amusement park as a jack-of-all-trades.
We guess such an experience turned out to be relevant for the actor’s role in “Zombieland”,
but this job had nothing to do with Woody’s dreams.
Harrelson attended Hanover College in Indiana, earning degrees in Theatre Arts and English.
Surprisingly enough, one of his friends during college was Mike Pence – the current Vice
President of the United States.
One year before graduating from college, Woody got his first arrest for dancing in the middle
of the street.
He was also charged with resisting arrest by running from the police.
Harrelson avoided jail time by paying a fine.
Years after Woody admitted that this situation was his first experience with the long arm
of the law, and it had a big impact on him:
“At that time, I was still entertaining the notion of becoming a cop – either a
cop of FBI or Secret Service.
I stopped wanting to be a cop, for sure.
But by then I was probably more interested in being an actor.”
After graduating from college Harrelson moved to New York, seeking some acting opportunities,
but he ended up being a poor struggling actor.
Once Woody claimed that the main reason for his numerous professional failures was his
appearance.
The actor had been covered in acne for years until a random woman in the bus diagnosed
him as lactose-intolerant.
Harrelson’s struggles with appearance were over after he quit dairy, but it didn’t
really help to succeed professionally.
The 24-year-old actor gave up all the hopes of getting big roles and segued into regional
theaters but all of a sudden he was approved for a part in the “Cheers” sitcom, which
appeared to be the beginning of his great career.
Moreover, he met Laura Louie on the sitcom’s set – a charming young woman, who first
became Woody Harrelson’s assistant, and then – his wife.
Here’s how he commented on his personal life in the 2017 interview with “The Hollywood
Reporter”:
“I just was incapable of long-term relationships.
I was with whoever would have me.
Then I met my wife.”
Seems like the actor was on top of the world, enjoying the career’s rise and happy relationships,
but none of this calmed him down.
In 2002 Harrelson got caught in bed with three women by a British tabloid photographer.
Laura and Woody had three daughters at the time.
For all that, he could have easily lost his marriage, but, despite all the rumors, it
didn’t happen.
Eventually, Harrelson turned “the worst night of his life” into art.
In 2017 the incident became the main subject of a movie called “Lost In London” – the
actor’s first feature as a writer-director.
However, it wasn’t the end of Harrelson’s hell-raising days.
In 2008 he allegedly attacked a TMZ photographer, who then filed a lawsuit against Harrelson.
It would be fair to mention though that the number of the actor’s successes seriously
exceeds the number of incidents he was involved in.
Woody keeps doing his best in Oscar-tipped movies, enthusiastically fights for marijuana
legalization, attends environmental events, arranges educational tours and follows a raw
vegan diet.
We don’t know whether the vegan diet goes well with alcohol and weed, which Harrelson
is a huge fan of, and whether he is capable of monogamous relationships now, but we don’t
judge the chaos he creates around his public persona either.
The actor once told “The Guardian” that “chaos and creativity go together”, and
it makes sense.
Maybe the chaotic lifestyle, full of multiple contradictions, is exactly what makes Woody
Harrelson so fascinating?