Natasha Lyonne was already playing at the age of 6. She started with commercials for “dolls that don’t even exist anymore”, and then there were movies. She has collaborated with with Woody Allen, starred in the popular “American Pie”. In 2005, she was hospitalized with hepatitis C, a heart infection, and a collapsed lung. In addition, she was also undergoing methadone treatment under the fire of New York paparazzi cameras. She devoted the following years to sobering up and recovering. She managed to return to the film industry in a really good style: she starred in the popular series Later, the same platform made the very successful series “Russian Doll” with her participation in the lead role.
Natasha Lyonne led a too partying life. She was close to death
When the actress talks about her life, she divides it into three parts. The first segment is the years when she was a child star – she says that period in her life was “tragic”. Even as a teenager, she had no contact with her parents. In high school she was expelled from school for selling marijuana – in an interview with “Esquire” she said years later that she did it because, as a poor student on a scholarship, she felt like an outcast among children from wealthy families, and this way she could simply earn money.
At the age of 16, she entered New York University to study film and philosophy. She decided to quit acting to become a director, but quit within days – she thinks $60,000 is too much to watch Apocalypse Now over and over again.
The second stage is the years when she was addicted to heroin. During this period, the tabloids had a harsh medium for it. For example, advertisements appeared in the press: “A New York court issued an arrest warrant for 26-year-old actress Natasha Lyonne, who starred in the 1999 comedy American Pie. She did not appear at a tantrum hearing last December, during which she had threaten to molest your neighbor’s dog.”
In 2001, she was convicted of driving in Miami Beach under the influence of suspected substances. No one was hurt, but the actress fled the scene, which caused her even more trouble. She reportedly told the police officer, “I’m a movie star. Can I speak to my entertainment lawyer?” Her license was suspended at the time, and she was given six months probation, a community service order, and a $1,000 fine.
Natasha Lyonne. Fall and return to career
In 2004, she was evicted from her apartment because she was partying so hard at home. After many complaints from neighbors, actor Michael Rappaport, who rented her premises, broke the contract – the apartment was extremely run down, the windows were broken, and rubbish was everywhere. The actress was supposed to be homeless for some time. A year later, she checked herself into the hospital – she had hepatitis C, a collapsed lung and a heart infection. In a 2015 interview with Esquire
My body had had enough. It wasn’t like I was making decisions like, Oh, I’m going to party this weekend and then come back to life. I had had enough, checked out, then was shocked and disappointed that I was still functioning and would have to fight to get it all together. I didn’t expect to get over it.
In 2006, the actress went to a treatment center where she underwent alcohol and drug addiction treatment. Years of a destructive lifestyle left their mark on her body. In 2012, the actress had to undergo heart valve surgery – this was seriously damaged by an infection a few years earlier. The condition of the actress was so serious that the operation saved her life.
In 2013, Natasha Lyonne appeared in the series “Orange is the New Black” as Nicky Nichols. This heroine underwent open-heart surgery after an overdose – Lyonne showed her real post-operative scar on the screen. In this way, she wanted to partly settle accounts with the difficult stage of her life that she was just closing. She didn’t want to talk about him anymore, but she couldn’t.
A few years later, she wrote the script for the TV series “Russian Doll”. She not only starred in it, but also directed it. The production shown on Netflix received 13 Emmy nominations. In a 2019 interview with Eva Wiseman, she said:
I had to forgive myself for wasting so many years instead of somehow freeing myself from this distorted life. But I thought I was going to die. So I had to find a way to live the most honest life possible. What will be the least like a lie? What should it be so that I don’t fall into the cycle of self-destruction again?
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
