Alec Baldwin’s Sam Neill tribute sparks ‘narcissist’ backlash

Alec Baldwin has found himself at the centre of a fresh social media storm after fans accused him of making his tribute to the late Sam Neill more about himself than his former co-star.

Following the heartbreaking news of Neill's death, the 68-year-old actor shared a video reflecting on their time filming The Hunt for Red October. 

While he began by expressing his sadness over losing the beloved actor, viewers were quick to point out that much of the clip focused on his own Hollywood journey and the famous names he had worked alongside.

Recalling the 1990 thriller, Baldwin explained it was one of the first major roles of his career after smaller parts in Working Girl and Beetlejuice. 

He went on to praise director John McTiernan and spoke at length about meeting author Tom Clancy before reeling off a long list of fellow cast members he admired.

The Rust actor even drifted into an unrelated anecdote about Ron Grutman before finally returning to Neill near the end of the video, saying: "My God. Sam Neill. My love to his family."

The tribute quickly divided opinion online, with Reddit users leading the criticism. 

One commenter claimed Baldwin appeared to be reflecting more on his own legacy than celebrating Neill's life, while another bluntly declared: "The narcissism is insane."

A third mocked the lengthy roll call of famous names, joking it was "like a slow, meandering version of *We Didn't Start the Fire*."

However, not everyone agreed with the backlash. 

Several users defended him, suggesting the 30 Rock actor was simply reminiscing about a defining chapter of his career.

One supporter wrote: "He's just vibing with memories, sometimes old people ramble haha." 

While another insisted the tribute felt like a natural reaction from someone reflecting on decades-old experiences after losing a colleague and friend.

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