IN this era of celebrity meltdowns, Tom Sizemore could arguably be the poster boy for actors spinning out of control.
The burly character actor, who once worked with such A-list directors as Steven Spielberg on "Saving Private Ryan" and Michael Mann on CBS' 2002-03 cop drama "Robbery Homicide Division," fell into a life of drugs, wild sexcapades and run-ins with the law. He was convicted of beating up Heidi Fleiss, his thengirlfriend and onetime Hollywood madam; he was sentenced to 17 months in jail and four months in a drug treatment facility after repeatedly failing drug tests last year; he was caught using a device called the Whizzinator to fake clean urine samples for his probation officers; he lost his home and wound up living in a garage; and he starred in a celebrity sex tape that was released on the Internet.
Sizemore, 45, is attempting a comeback. He has a BBC miniseries called "Superstorm" airing in March; two indie films are in the can; and this month he heads to New Orleans for another feature film called "Last Lullaby," playing a hit man who falls for his intended victim.
Tonight, VH1 is scheduled to air "Shooting Sizemore," a six-part reality series where cameras trail him and a small entourage as he faces a hard-nosed prosecutor trying to put him away for battery and takes a job in an ultra-low-budget Canadian horror movie. Interspersed in the documentary is black-and-white, grainy, hand-held footage that Sizemore shot as he battled to overcome drugs and bouts of depression.
What prompted you to do this reality series?
Prior to my arrest, I had already filmed about nine months of footage for a documentary [about a year in the life of an actor]. After being arrested, "Robbery Homicide Division" was canceled. I was fired from a couple of movies. It was terrible. What I did, though, is I kept my camera on. I actually bought more cameras.
Did you have any notion your life and career would tumble so dramatically?
Absolutely not. Did I know I would declare bankruptcy, publicly humiliate myself and be excoriated in the press? Of course not. Had I known that, I might have gone home [to Detroit] and worked at General Motors. Actually, I don't know if I would have done that either. I love acting.
What do you hope audiences will glean from this series?
I thought if anything good can come out of this, it can serve as a cautionary tale for young people -- or any people -- who suffer a crisis in their life with narcotics.
