Jack Black Details His Drug Use: Cocaine, Heroin, And Wellbutrin

Jack Black's new flick, "Tropic Thunder" is set to hit theaters on August 15, and the most recent issue of Blender magazine features an interview with the 28-year-old actor. In the movie, Black plays a character who is forced to go through with withdrawal, and so, naturally, the conversation turned to Black's myriad drug use.

On his early exposure to hard drugs:

In ninth grade, I did acid and cocaine. I wanted desperately to be an American badass. There's something so romantic, when you're a kid, about being a criminal. You want to belong to the tough-guy club. Running from the cops. Hiding in the bushes. Making schemes and plans to get it over on the Man.

On heroin:

Somebody gave me a small amount of it in an envelope and I kept it for months. I didn't want to use it, but I didn't want to throw it away, either, because I was always curious about it.

My girlfriend at the time was there, and I snorted it, but she didn't know I did it. It didn't agree with me. I couldn't really feel my legs, and my heart felt like it was slowing down too much. I thought, Oh, my God, it's just going to shut me down. I'm going to die. So I told my girlfriend, "I'm going to take a walk." I went down to the 7-Eleven at the bottom of the hill, and I had this strange sensation that my legs were pumping, but the feet were just sort of lifeless stumps. I did a little shopping and then walked back up the hill and survived. And never did it again.

On weed:

There is an occasional celebratory jay, but it's not a wake-and-bake scenario anymore at all. And no cigarettes. To help stop, I took Wellbutrin for two years, and then I stopped the Wellbutrin before Tropic Thunder. They say you've got to be careful quitting Wellbutrin because some people have withdrawal symptoms. And I was like, "Good! That's the movie. That's what I need! Withdrawal symptoms!" I didn't have shakes and crazy quakes--it feels like your brain is sucking in on itself, like there's a small black hole in the center of your brain galaxy. But it only lasted for a couple of weeks, and then I was back to normal.

On withdrawal:

I've never had to detox.

Comments

[ArnicaMontana]

there is no way in hizz-ell that Jack Black is 28. that would have made him 17 when he did his tenatious D stuff.

seek and the truth shall set you free: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0085312/

[Mujokan]

I was about to curse him to Hell if he was only 28. That would be too much for me.

Funny he says he used to "wake and bake". Not surprising he doesn't these days, since he has a kid. But at the same time, he isn't condemning weed. A very honest guy.

[RoseMerry]

"I've never had to detox." What the hell was he doing when he quit Wellbutrin? It is so much better to tap off it slowly, unless you are playing a manic, crazy character.....oh.

[Frunobulax57]

I enjoy hearing someone like Jack say that they ‘did it‘, didn’t like it and so never did it again. I enjoy it so much because it so definitely shows us that there are distinctions between potential addicts and alcoholics and the rest of the human population. The same happened to my wife. The first time she got plastered, she also got sick., puked all over, passed out and the very next day announced to the e world, “I will never do that again.” - then didn’t. Me on the hand - well, I got sick too, puked all over, passed out and the very next day announced to the e world, “That was fantastic! I can’t wait to do it again.” I snorted heroin and got nothing out of it. Pot made to too sleepy. Coke was great but I gave it up when it got too expensive and was causing me too much ‘down time’ when I should have been working. That strange mental twist - the thoughtless blank-spot in the brain that allows one to “do it again” anyway - even though the consequences are waving a long and boney finger at you and it sucked eggs -- only happened with booze. Jack does not give his experience with EtOH (alcohol) in this interview. It is glaringly absent, actually. I would be curios.

Danny S - RLRA
Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

[Bettysdad]

And the point is?

Most people that use drugs don't have problems with them.

It's time to stop the "war on drugs," which is just a welfare program for everyone in the justice system from Supreme Court justices to prison guards; prison construction firms to bullet manufacturers; drug test makers to drug counselors. and on and on.

How much money will you spend stopping people from getting high? Every dollar is another dollar not spent on something positive, like health or education.

[nodonjuan]

And imagine all the taxes we are missing out on.

[jesuswazasocialist]

Jack Black would play a good James Belushi in an remake of Animal House, 1941 or even the Blues Bros not sure who would be able to play the Dan Ackroyd character thou.

[zippywpinhead]

that was John...

[hlawyer]

Maybe jesus meant a remake of "According to Jim," "k-9" or "The Principal."

[LisainNYC]

Just watched "School of Rock" with my kids. He's is, among other things, a very good actor.

I love that guy.

[chaz]

I enjoy his work and I'm very happy he is still alive. We have lost far to many over the years to drugs. It's a shame.

[adeakili]

Didn't most of us already know he was on something? And with such perfect recall, it's clear he did not do enough drugs of the right kind.

Good he cut it out though. In some of his appearances, he was reminding me of Belushi.

[hypnotoad72]

Well, our media often hypes up the criminal mentality as being romantic... 'nuff said.

And don't snort coke, that's DUMB.

[MTiffany]

"And don't snort coke, that's DUMB."

Yeah! Freebase it instead! Much better high... much better, without all the sketchiness of crack.

[Wildcatdiva]

Yeah just what I thought I'd read here ...that's life and OWB gets a pass immediately.

[PhantomAviator]

..

At least he doesn't say that drugs "controlled" him.

.

[Paladine]

I'd bet at least 50% of all people who came of age in the '70's have done some kind of drug, sometime...

Who cares?

[MTiffany]

The fine folks at Blender Magazine, apparently. Which is not surprising, given their aptitude for math...

[All57States]

He had a drug past? That's shocking. Who would have guessed that?

[worldtuner]

hey do In lokk a prat in this