Alec Baldwin and Agent Say "Goodbye"

Alec Baldwin added a new development to his media rollercoaster of a week today by saying goodbye to the agency that helped pair him with some of the most prestigious roles of his career. The actor Alec Baldwin and his long-time talent agents parted company Wednesday. Baldwin has been represented by Matt DelPiano and Michael Rosenfeld at Creative Artists Agency, known colloquially as CAA, since 2002.

Baldwin's publicist Matthew Hiltzik told members of the press that Baldwin's decision to sever professional ties with CAA was unrelated to Baldwin's recent voicemail scandal. The scandal erupted after media outlets received a tape on which Baldwin calls his 11 year old daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig." After the outburst was made public, Baldwin was temporarily banned from seeing his daughter by a Los Angeles judge.

Alec Baldwin and Creative Artists Agency shared a fruitful partnership during the five years that Baldwin was represented by the agency. During that period, Baldwin won roles in high-profile film and television projects. His most notable roles while represented by DelPiano and Rosenfeld at CAA include big-screen performances in prestigious projects including The Departed and The Good Shepard. Baldwin was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 2003's The Cooler.

During this time, CAA also lined up a number of television projects for the actor, including a guest stint on the hit sitcom Will and Grace. It was while his career was being managed by Creative Artists Agency that Baldwin took his role as a smooth-talking network executive Jack Donaghy on the current NBC situation comedy 30 Rock. 30 Rock was recently renewed for a second season. Baldwin has won both a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe for his performance on the show. In his Screen Actors Guild Award acceptance speech, Baldwin personally thanked both agents DelPiano and Rosenfeld for their part in making the moment of triumph possible.

According to Hiltzik, Baldwin's decision to leave CAA was "strictly for personal reasons." He added "It has nothing to do with his extremely talented agents, who've done great work with Alec."

Creative Artists Agency currently represents Baldwin's former spouse Kim Basinger, against whom he is currently fighting a heated custody battle. No spokesperson for Baldwin has yet made a definitive public statement as to whether Basinger's relationship to the agency was a factor in Baldwin's recent decision to move on. Basinger and Baldwin divorced in 2001, and have spent the six years since fighting for custody of their daughter Ireland.

The 49-year-old Baldwin is not yet seeking representation from a new agent or agency.

SOURCES:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6590767.stm
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/la-et-baldwin25apr25,0,1568642.story?track=mostviewed-homepage
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963700.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/other_news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003576011
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_21276807.shtml