“I just wanted to get clean”: Tom Sizemore’s ‘Heat’ Co-Star Robert De Niro Saved Him When Cocaine Addiction Nearly Wrecked His Career

Tom Sizemore had won a lot of acclaim over the course of his 3-decade long career. The late actor passed away on March 3 of 2023 and has left behind quite a legacy. He entered the industry in 1989 with the Tom Cruise and Willem Dafoe starrer, Born on the Fourth of July. That was the first big break for the Saving Private Ryan star. And there was no turning back for him from there onwards. He might be gone, but his legacy shall remain for all posterity to see. His films like Hear continue to be loved by the masses. Now, what if someone told you that his career was at serious risk of being compromised?

A career to be remembered

Tom Sizemore had built a reputation for playing the role of your quintessential intense, fast-talking persona in the industry. It took him little time to cement his claim to the spot, by starring in works like Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, Wesley Snipes, Passenger 57, and Striking Distance.

But there was one problem. Sizemore ran into a roadblock that had the potential to very effectively derail his career. It was his indulgence in substance abuse. His addiction to drugs looked set to have cost him his career. But that is where his friends’ intervention came to his aid.

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How starring in Heat changed Tom Sizemore’s life for the better?

Tom Sizemore’s drug addiction had reached extreme levels. Drugs, especially cocaine were a part of his usual dosage. Just when his indulgence in substance abuse threatened to derail his career.

Enter Robert De Niro.

Starring alongside The Godfather 2 star in the 1995 film brought the two close. It would be a result of this proximity that De Niro would go on to hold an intervention for Sizemore.

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Robert De Niro made the choice very clear for Tom Sizemore

Tom Sizemore recounted what went down at the time of the film’s shooting in his memoir, By Some Miracle, I Made It Out Of There. He detailed the rather clear approach adopted by the Taxi Driver star – go to either rehab or prison.

In an interview with Larry King, he would later say that the intervention helped him get clean for some time. Though his battles with addiction continued, it was The Irishman star who prompted a fightback.

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Source: Looper