Simon Pegg Hid His Alcoholism On The ‘Mission: Impossible III’ Set: “You Become Very Sneaky”

Simon Pegg revealed he hid his struggles with alcoholism while filming Mission: Impossible III.

“You become very sneaky when you have something like that in your life,” Pegg told Variety in a recent interview.

The actor and writer, who is now sober, opened up about his longtime struggles with mental health issues that later turned into an alcohol dependency while filming the action blockbuster.

“You learn how to do it without anyone noticing because it takes over. It wants to sustain itself and it will do everything it can to not be stopped,” he told the outlet.

Mission: Impossible III was Pegg’s first time joining the franchise, in which he starred opposite Tom Cruise as technical IMF agent Benji Dunn. Despite his personal troubles, Pegg ended up staying on throughout the rest of the franchise. Landing the role in Mission: Impossible III marked a turning point for his career, but it also serves as a constant reminder to Pegg of his struggles at the time.

“Eventually it just gets to a point when it can’t be hidden, and that’s when, thankfully, I was able to pull out of the dive,” Pegg said.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2018, Pegg called that period of time the start of his “crisis years.” He said at the time, “When I watch that film back, I can see where I was then, which was fairly lost, and unhappy, and an alcoholic.”

He revealed that he didn’t just hide it from fans, he hid his alcohol abuse from those closest to him as well, including his frequent co-star and best friend Nick Frost. He credits the birth of his daughter Matilda in 2009 with finally putting him on the road to recovery, though he didn’t actually get professional help until he went to rehab a year later.

“I thought it would fix things and it just didn’t. Because it can’t. Nothing can, other than a dedicated approach, whether that’s therapy or medication, or whatever,” he said of his daughter’s birth. He later said, “I don’t think I would be here now if I hadn’t had help.”

Pegg continued working during those “crisis years,” starring in movies such as Hot Fuzz, Star Trek and Paul.

While speaking to The Guardian, Pegg joked that you could physically see him regaining his health throughout Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, as that was filmed around the time he first went into recovery.

“We always laugh about it when we watch the movie. Try it! You’ll be like: ‘Fuck, he’s got cheekbones suddenly!’” he said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.