Anthony Michael Hall Shares How the ‘Pressure Cooker’ of Fame Led to Struggles and Getting Sober in 1990

Anthony Michael Hall was battling alcoholism during his rise to fame until he left ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1986 to get help. Hall, now 58, has been sober since 1990. The actor opened up about that journey in a recent conversation with Danielle Fishel for the ‘Teen Beat’ podcast.

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Anthony Michael Hall was battling alcoholism during his rise to fame until he left Saturday Night Live in 1986 to get help

Hall, now 58, has been sober since 1990

The actor opened up about that journey in a recent conversation with Danielle Fishel for the Teen Beat podcast

Anthony Michael Hall is grateful for 36 years of sobriety.

The actor, 58, recently opened up about his experience with addiction on the Teen Beat podcast with Danielle Fishel. In the Wednesday, Aug. 19 episode, Hall talks about the “challenge” of staying sober in the entertainment industry.

“It’s a pressure cooker of a situation, you know this, to have success at a young age, because it, it puts you in a hot seat. And it’s very off-putting in a way, even though it’s something you think you want. Everybody has this idea about what fame is and recognition and all that stuff,” he explained.

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While Hall says there was a time when he was having “a lot of fun,” it was managing that and having a successful career that was where he felt himself faltering.

“I give my mother a lot of credit. My mother was very tough love, but in the right ways. She gave me a great foundation along with my father. So that was really a great backstop, especially considering the industry. And I didn’t live out west, so I really wasn’t fully immersed in a Hollywood lifestyle, or I think that stuff, so by the time I moved here in my mid-20s. I think I’d gotten a lot of that partying out of my system,” he shared.

“If you’re raised on the East Coast, I think your access to nightlife and all that stuff happens even at an earlier age. I felt like all that stuff was challenging to navigate, but you’ve got to keep it moving. You got to keep moving forward in life, you know. So, I’ve always had family to have a foundation and to clean up your act if you’re on a wild path.”

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Sober since 1990, Hall resurrected his career and went on to star in Edward Scissorhands (1990), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), The Dark Knight (2008), Foxcatcher (2014), War Machine (2017), Halloween Kills (2021) and Air Force One Down (2024), and he has appeared on shows like Riverdale, Reacher and Wednesday.

This year marks Hall’s 50th year in the entertainment industry. Speaking with PEOPLE about the milestone in July, the actor expressed his gratitude for a life well-lived and a career that continues.

“I’m still working! I’m actively building up my production company and just always working, year-round,” he proudly shared, adding, “I’m blessed to have had such a long career.”

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