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Since Heath Ledger’s tragic death in 2008, Hollywood took a turn for the better in terms of addiction and sobriety. The lingering yet rampant effects of hard substances from the industry’s rock-n-roll era subsided and actors like Robert Downey Jr. andYellowstonestar Wes Bentley turned over a new leaf for good.
![Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane in The Hunger Games [Credit: Lionsgate Films]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/10153058/Wes-Bentley-as-Seneca-Crane-in-The-Hunger-Games-Credit-Lionsgate-Films-scaled.jpg)
Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane inThe Hunger Games[Credit: Lionsgate Films]However, the haunting memories of those years spent under the influence still aggrieved the actors who survived their addiction to see healthier and happier days.Yellowstonestar Wes Bentley, who has been on everyone’s radar since his appearance as the cruel and bloodthirsty Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane inThe Hunger Games, now relives his past with a touch of nostalgia.
YellowstoneStar Reveals His Fiery Struggle With Addiction
Wes Bentleyhas had a formidable career to boast of, with films in his résumé that most would kill for. FromThe Hunger GamestoInterstellarand fromMission: ImpossibletoYellowstone, Bentley’s filmography is stacked with choice roles and excellent selections – none of which would have been possible, if the actor had given in to his addiction in the early 2000s.
Wes Bentley and Kelly Reilly inYellowstone[Credit: Paramount Network]Speaking toMen’s Healthin a detailed interview, theYellowstonestar revealed:
![Wes Bentley and Kelly Reilly in Yellowstone [Credit: Paramount Network]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/10153105/Wes-Bentley-and-Kelly-Reilly-in-Yellowstone-Credit-Paramount-Network.jpg)
I ended up going down the cocaine and heroin route. Hard partying. You’re in clubs and you’re at afterparties, and there’s cocaine, and eventually it became heroin. That period was incredibly dark.
I did really dangerous stuff. I went downtown. I went and hung with really shady people. I wasn’t trying to kill myself or anything. That was just me: Go far. Be the guy who went the furthest. I lost everything in the fire. I had no car, I had no clothes, I had no money – I was $400,000 in debt.
“He takes everything very seriously”: Wes Bentley Channeled His Inner Jaime During a Hangout Session That Made His Storm Off in Childish Rage
After starting off with recreational drugs, mostly psychedelics at Hollywood parties, Wes Bentley’s addiction soon transformed into something entirely different. In his words, he wanted to be “the most impressive drug addict ever.” However, that soon changed after meeting his future wife Jacqui Swedberg, an assistant director.
I met a girl, and this girl was awesome and funny and just had the weirdest sense of humor and made me laugh and made me want to live again – like,livelive, not go deal drugs.
![Wes Bentley with Heath Ledger in The Four Feathers [Credit: Paramount Pictures, Miramax]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/10153045/Wes-Bentley-with-Heath-Ledger-in-The-Four-Feathers-Credit-Paramount-Pictures-Miramax-scaled.jpg)
The pair tied the knot in 2010. Soon after, his career took off withThe Hunger Gamesin 2012, followed by a freaky turn inAmerican Horror Storyin 2014, a touch of sci-fi inInterstellar, a musical romance inWe Are Your Friendsin 2015, and ultimately, the epic WesternYellowstonein 2018.
Wes Bentley Recalls Sobriety and a Very Dear Friend
The influence and mere existence ofHeath Ledgerwas such that the people who came in contact with him lived to tell the tale of howThe Dark Knightactor forever changed their lives.Yellowstonestar Wes Bentley was one such person who could afford to call Ledger their friend, although sadly, he recalls their shared moments as a tragic afterthought of the events that led to their friendship.
Wes Bentley with Heath Ledger inThe Four Feathers[Credit: Paramount Pictures/Miramax]After meeting while filming a 2002 action drama,The Four Feathers, Ledger took an interest in Bentley due to the latter’s struggles with addiction. TheYellowstoneactor revealed:
He even begged me to get sober in an email. Last email, he was beggin’ me. I didn’t, at first, but later, getting sober, I’d think of that email all the time.
Recalling Ledger’s memorial service after his death in 2008 from an accidental drug overdose, he said,“I tried to go, but I was really messed up, and I felt like that wasn’t right. So I got out of the cab on the way to it. And that sits with me forever.”
I’d never felt love from someone like him. And he didn’t care what I was, or what I was like, the stupid things I was doing. He just wanted me to be better. I always thought of him as a brother, and I wish I could’ve given that back.
“I was at death’s door”: Robert Downey Jr. Became Real Life Superhero By Saving Wes Bentley From Deadly Drug Addiction, Helped Him Roar Back into Stardom
As of 2024, Wes Bentley celebrates almost 15 years of sobriety. With his career at a peak due to his series regular role inYellowstone, Paramount’s flagship series and television’s greatest Western, Bentley celebrates unprecedented fame as the Dutton family’s black sheep. With only a few more episodes to go, the character remains entangled in a storyline that has been keeping most fans awake, for better or worse, until Taylor Sheridan dropsYellowstoneSeason 5 Part 2 this November.
Yellowstoneis available for streaming on Paramount+
Diya Majumdar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2408
Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.
