The former Studio 54 waiter and leading light of the Baldwin clan has transformed himself into one of the finest character actors of his generation. The star of 30 Rock and [next] month's My Sister's Keeper muses on his hometown, his daughter, and a particular leaked audiotape.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
On a boat with my daughter, Ireland, headed to Sunset Beach on Shelter Island, with our friends.
What is your greatest fear?
That my daughter will grow up to become a paparazzo.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Insecurity.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Overconfidence.
Which living person do you most admire?
Michelle Obama.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Criterion Collection DVDs and whiling away the day with WQXR.
What is your current state of mind?
New York.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Patience.
Which living person do you most despise?
The person who leaked Christian Bale's audiotape. (LOL.)
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Masculinity--with a splash of interior decorator.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Femininity--with a splash of Arctic explorer.
Which talent would you most like to have?
To be able to sing on Broadway.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
A 13-year-old girl I first met in the delivery room at Cedars-Sinai, in L.A.
When and where were you happiest?
Anywhere with Ireland, but preferably at a ridiculously scary movie eating popcorn and Twizzlers.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Either being benevolently controlling or clearing my throat.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
When I say the line the right way while the camera is actually rolling.
Who are your favorite writers?
Tennessee Williams, David Mamet, Joe Orton.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Charlie Brown.
What is your greatest regret?
Faking a heart attack on April Fools' Day 2004, for my daughter and my girlfriend.
How would you like to die?
Saving someone else's life or at the final moment of Letterman's monologue.
SOURCE: My copy of June's Vanity Fair
