Mental s01e05 Episode Script
Roles of Engagement
All right, now, my next guest is the guy that People magazine voted Sexiest Man Alive.
[Women In Audience Cheering.]
America's Sweetheart, Mr.
Nice Guy the star of the new smash hit romantic comedy Lovemate leading man of my wife's dreams, Liam McBride! Liam! - [Audience Cheering.]
- Come on out! There he is, Liam McBride! How are ya? Yeah.
- Whoo! - All right.
Here we go.
Sure.
Come on.
Have a seat.
Sit down.
Wow.
Look at that.
- Well.
- [Audience Whooping.]
I didn't get to do that with her.
All right, big fella.
- Time to get to work here.
- [Laughing.]
So So, Liam, how's it goin', my friend? - Fantastic, man.
Couldn't be better.
- Yeah, I guess so.
Well, your reputation precedes you.
In fact, it says right here that TMZ has you listed with 19 women in the last year.
- [Audience.]
Ooh! - Yeah, it's wild, man.
Completely wild.
- How do you find the time? - Well, you know what? - I'll tell ya, it's not easy.
- [Laughing.]
Yeah.
Any of 'em serious? No.
No way.
You know, they only want one thing their picture with me in Us magazine.
And they're willing to [Bleeps.]
to get it.
- [Groaning.]
- [Host Chuckling.]
All right.
Uh, what what's the new movie about then? Ah, you know.
Same old crap.
Boy meets girl.
Boy digs girl.
Girl digs boy.
Girl and boy hump like rabbits.
- All right, all right, okay.
- [Audience Gasping.]
- This isn't cable.
We We get the picture.
- No, you don't.
See, these girls, they just use you.
- I mean, everybody uses everybody.
- [Audience Gasps.]
But these no-talent bitches, they just want to ride your [Bleeps.]
to stardom.
- [Booing.]
- [Man.]
Not cool, man.
Not cool.
What the [Bleeps.]
do you think you're booing, huh? - Oh, they're just kidding around.
- No, really.
- What the [Bleeps.]
- Liam.
- Yeah, you! The fat cow in the back! - Where is he - It's all right, man.
- Oh, you want to [Bleeps.]
with me? - No, the show's Hey! - All right, let's do it! [Bleeps.]
[Grunting.]
- Get him outta here! - Get the [Bleeps.]
off me! You [Bleeps.]
dregs of society! You [Bleeps.]
pious sheep! - [Audience Jeering.]
- You self-righteous [Bleeps.]
bastards! You can't [Bleeps.]
think for yourself? You know what? [Bleeps.]
All right.
[Bleeps.]
you! Oh, you wanna [Clears Throat.]
This occurred approximately two hours ago.
What's he been doing since then? Studio security grabbed him as he was about to drive his Ferrari through the guard gate.
Just unbelievable.
This is Liam McBride, America's wet dream.
He has a history of substance abuse.
Probably on something, most likely ice.
- When's he due in? - Uh, Liam and his people, whoever they are are about to arrive in about 15 minutes.
It's about 1600 hours, General.
The media helicopters are following a black Navigator with smoked windows.
That vehicle will pull up to the curb of the E.
R.
entrance.
Oh, God, there must be a hundred paparazzi waiting there already.
That's the decoy.
Liam's manager, Andy-something will pull up to the delivery entrance at the same time.
Liam will be in the backseat, hiding.
How do we get him up on the ward? I've secured an elevator from the lobby to the third floor.
- It should work.
- It'll work.
[Chuckling.]
What is so funny? We're dealing with a major celebrity here.
In today's world, that's a flood.
There's no way we're not gonna get wet.
Not on my watch.
Who's the attending? - This is my area.
- What area? - Addiction.
- He hasn't even been diagnosed yet.
- High card wins.
- What? Uh Uh [Exhales.]
Please.
Uh Yes! King of spades.
All right.
Any other concerns? Once he gets here, we treat him like any other patient.
No special privileges.
[Man On Radio, Indistinct.]
- Hey, uh, who's who? I'm Andy Foito, Liam's manager.
- Nora Skoff.
- Nora.
- Jack Gallagher, director of Psychiatric Services.
- Help him, help him.
- [Man.]
Clear that hallway now.
Come on.
Let's go, guys.
Uh, can we get him into the ward? - I gave him a pill.
- What kind of pill? - How the hell should I know? - There was no pill.
It was a blue one.
- [Woman.]
Liam! - [Woman Screams.]
Liam! Liam! Liam! Liam! Surf's up.
[Dings.]
- [Camera Shutters Clicking.]
- [Chattering.]
All of your questions will be answered.
- [Woman.]
Dr.
Carl Belle? - Yes, that's correct.
Dr.
Carl Belle with an "E.
" - [Woman #2.]
Dr.
Belle, I have a question! - [Man.]
Question over here.
Did Liam sleep through the night? He was given a mild sedative.
He fell asleep around 11:06.
Uh, he awoke sometime before dawn, used the facilities and then went back to sleep until 8:00 this morning.
- Yes? - Have you made a diagnosis yet, Doctor? That would be premature.
We have yet to do an in-depth intake.
In order to ascertain the exact nature of the mental illness of a patient one must be patient.
- [Reporters Shouting.]
- [Carl.]
Okay, okay, okay.
- [Knocks.]
- They just caught two reporters hanging from the window ledge on Oh, my God! Can I see? Wow, it's stunning.
- Is it a secret admirer? - Nope.
- Anniversary present.
- Wedding anniversary? No.
Anniversary of my divorce.
- Oh! Right.
- [Chuckles.]
I really shouldn't have.
If you knew how much I paid for it.
No.
You deserve it.
It took me 10 years of marriage to realize I made a mistake and a bout with cancer to get me up off my ass.
The hell with it.
I think we should celebrate this.
Girls' night out? We could hit the clubs.
- Oh, I have nothing to wear.
- [Laughing.]
- We could do a lunchtime shopping spree.
- Oh.
No, not with CNN hovering.
And I've got Barbara Walters waiting on I know.
Oh.
What ledge? [Imitating Gunfire.]
[Imitating Gunfire Continues.]
I can't believe this is happening.
- How long have you been his manager? - Forever.
Got him his first big break.
I negotiated his last $20 million fee.
Has he ever broken down before? You gotta understand, Liam's an actor's actor, the real thing.
Totally immersed in his roles, and, yeah sometimes he mixes reality and fiction and doesn't come out of it until the picture's wrapped.
That's his gift.
This is all my fault.
The agency rushed him into doing his next picture.
He's been prepping for it night and day.
He's totally exhausted.
- I should've put my foot down.
- Tell me about that new movie.
[Foito.]
It's a total departure.
It's a serious role.
It's Oscar-winning material.
The producer's calling me, like, every three seconds.
- I'd like to read the script.
- Uh, you gotta understand, Doc.
It's pretty hush-hush.
- Can't have the general public knowing.
- It will just be me.
Yeah.
Okay.
And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds to fright the souls of fearful adversaries he capers nimbly in a lady's chambers to the lascivious pleasing of a lute.
Look.
Liam's not just a client.
He's my best friend.
He's like family.
But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks nor made to court - Whatever you need.
- Just get me that script.
Sportive tricks, nor made to court an amorous looking glass.
I that am rudely stamped and want love's majesty to strut before a wanton ambling nymph.
Richard III.
Not bad.
[Shouts.]
- [Wings Flapping.]
- [Birds Cawing.]
They're circling.
The gulls! Oh! Circling! - [Screams.]
- Hitchcock? Classic.
Classic symptomatology.
Auditory hallucinations, bizarre delusions, disorganized speech and behavior.
- Classic.
- If that's the case, he's chosen the wrong profession.
I would think the emotional demands of an actor would exacerbate the problem over time.
But he's been in and out of rehab for years.
Are we not gonna consider a drug component? I've ordered blood work to exclude hypothyroidism, systemic infection, H.
I.
V.
I've also ordered a C.
T.
scan and a drug panel, so [Veronica.]
Jack.
You got anything to add? Psych 101.
Textbook psychotic break.
Right.
Textbook.
A messenger brought this for you.
Thank you.
[Woman On P.
A.
.]
Music Therapy and Musicology.
The Daily News and People magazine.
They want to send a photographer to take your picture.
And Ellen, and, uh, Jules Luckman president of Liam's fan club.
Yeah, I know who he is.
Little twerp got a hold of my cell phone.
How do celebrities do it, day in and day out? I mean, your life is not your own.
You're lucky you drew the low card.
[Chuckling.]
That's Ellen.
Yeah.
Blood work? - No.
No blood.
- Hey, Liam, it's just a little No blood! No blood.
And no leech [Gasps.]
Get 'em off me.
No leeches! Get 'em off me! No leeches, no leeches.
Get 'em off me! Get 'em off me.
No leeches, no leeches.
No leeches! Get 'em off me.
- Get 'em off of me! - Hey, take it easy.
Liam.
Liam, calm down, all right? - Get 'em off me! - [Door Lock Beeps.]
[Gasping.]
I'm a little teapot, short and stout.
Here is my handle.
Here is my spout.
[Clapping.]
Bravo.
Couple of notes on performance? While psychotic behavior can include, uh disorganized speech, auditory and visual hallucinations rapid mood swings are part of a different syndrome altogether.
Kind of got your research mixed up.
Bravo to you, Doc.
You got me.
- "Crazy Going Slowly Am I"? - His new movie.
Cuckoo's Nest for the new millennium? [Exhales.]
Whoa.
This was really sick.
[Laughing Continues.]
Fooled you.
Oh.
Someone get me a damn latte.
Phew! [Dings.]
[Nora.]
He was faking it? How could a staff of trained professionals Since you are clearly not, I suggest you take your criticisms - [Laughing.]
Oh, God.
- Come here.
Look at this.
[Bleeping.]
You're the [Bleeps.]
problem! - I've seen it.
- Why not release a statement? We knew it was an act all along.
We were simply helping Mr.
McBride prepare for a, uh, difficult role about serious mental illness in order to increase public awareness.
Why not? Because we are not sailors on the Good Ship Lollipop.
We're living in the real world.
- There.
- Now I've crossed the line? You don't like me now? Guess what! You made me! I'm you! I don't create the image you self-righteous [Bleeps.]
- You think you're better than me? - What's he doin'? - Ranting.
- Performing.
You know how many cars I bought with your money? Seven Seven cars.
- You know how many boats? Three.
- They've gone to commercial.
Stage lights are off.
So who exactly is he performing for? Lots of actors perform in front of mirrors without an audience.
- It's their process.
- [Bleeps.]
Sheep! Sheep! [Liam.]
We filmed the damned thing in Cambodia.
It's a hell of a country.
- Land mines all over the place.
- Really? - Hey, Doc.
- Hey, hey.
- Excuse me.
- No hard feelings, I hope.
I do have a tremendous amount of respect for the medical profession.
Of course not.
No hard feelings.
I could never do what you do day in and day out and I apologize if I stepped out of line.
No.
Oh, hell, no.
In fact, I've gotta hand it to you.
It was a, uh It was a hell of a publicity stunt for the movie.
I loved the gull thing.
Yeah, that was great, wasn't it? I see 'em all the time.
I got a place on the beach in Malibu.
- Andy's a genius.
- It was Andy's idea? It wasn't, uh What do you call him? Your agent? - Your publicist? - No, no, no.
Those fools? I fired their asses.
So what'd you think of the script? It was good, a real page-turner.
Yeah, it's fantastic, isn't it? Okay.
I'm ready.
- Drop by anytime.
- [Scoffs.]
Yeah.
- You mean that? - Yeah.
It's for a good cause.
- Yeah, it is.
Glad you see it that way.
- A shame, really.
- What? - Well, that you're leaving.
I'm sure you've observed, uh, quite a bit since you've been here.
And I understand your movie starts shooting Monday? It's too bad you can't stick around till then.
Let it really soak in.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Never granted that kind of access, of course.
But I could swing it, if you're interested.
No way.
- You think I should? - For purely selfish reasons.
I'd like to see a, uh, psychiatric ward and treatment portrayed realistically for a change.
You can't You can't make this stuff up.
You've gotta live it.
Yeah.
No, no.
You're so right.
Otherwise, it would become, uh What's the word? Caricature.
Laughable, even.
[Lock Beeps.]
- If you're serious - I'm serious.
- I'll offer my service as your personal guide.
- Excellent.
[Carl.]
Have you lost your mind? You talked him into staying, even after the embarrassment he caused this hospital? And you personally.
He used a public facility for his own self-serving research.
He's a callous, manipulative son of a bitch, and I want him off this ward! What are you up to? Why'd you ask him to stay? - Because he's mentally ill.
- He was puttin' on a show.
He said so himself.
- He was also putting on a show when he appeared on TV.
- So? When the cameras stopped rolling and the lights went off, he was still performing.
Actually, he wasn't performing.
I think he was having a breakdown, for real and only later came up with the publicity stunt cover story.
So you actually think he is psychotic? How would you assess a patient exhibiting sexually provocative behavior melodramatic expressions of emotion, easy suggestibility a desperate need for excessive admiration and a grandiose sense of self-importance? Oh, you think he has a narcissistic personality disorder.
- So do a lot of creative types.
- Hmm.
So? Discharge him and find him a therapist.
We just agreed he has a personality disorder.
What we don't know is why.
If we discharge him now, we run the risk of another psychotic break.
- He needs to be here.
- Absolutely.
- [Door Opens.]
- Mm.
[Foito.]
Of course, I knew.
When I booked the show, Liam thought it would be a good opportunity to promote the picture.
You telling me it was his idea? And mine.
Liam might be a great actor, but you're not.
When you brought him in, you were genuinely concerned about him, and you care about him.
Obviously, he cares about you.
You survived the massacre, didn't you? - He fired his agent and publicist.
- Not just them.
The last few months, he's been cleaning house.
He also fired his personal assistant, his lawyer his trainer and his stylist.
- Liam needs psychiatric help.
- [Chuckling.]
He's an actor.
De Niro put on a hundred pounds for Raging Bull.
He got himself a hack license to drive a cab around New York for Taxi Driver.
Hoffman stays up for three days so he can get that really tortured look in Marathon Man.
Cage goes on a drinking binge in Leaving Las Vegas.
I mean, that's the biz, man.
- They're not really insane.
- Liam's on the verge of a major breakdown.
One he might not recover from.
I'm supposed to have Liam on the set of Crazy Going Slowly Monday morning.
I cannot begin to tell you how dangerous it's gonna be for him to play a mentally ill person in his present state.
We have a flight out of LAX in six hours.
He'll be on it.
- [Knocking.]
- Liam.
Doc.
I'm really glad you've taken the time to experience this.
You know, for your research.
Oh, I wouldn't have missed it.
Now, you're gonna be playing the part of a dangerously psychotic patient which probably means you'd be put in restraints.
- Is that okay? - Mm-hmm.
Radical exposure therapy is, simply put, exposing people to their biggest fears.
Like the rats in 1984.
Great book.
So, uh, let's say you're afraid to fly.
Exposure therapy would involve taking you up in a plane and forcing you to face that fear.
Got it.
So what's the patient's fear we're dealing with? - You tell me.
- What, like an improv? Okay, brilliant.
Um, fear, like, um, fear of the dark or being alone.
Perfect.
Let's start with those.
Yeah, sure.
[Clears Throat.]
Good, Liam.
You're doing great.
And let's overlay the feeling of being in a deep, dark tunnel.
Trapped, unable to escape.
Okay.
Okay.
I get it.
Lose the restraints, okay? That's good, Liam.
That's That's good.
Right about now, the patient would be feeling agitated and and be sort of begging to be set free.
Yeah, I get it.
Let's turn the lights on and take the restraints off, okay? - I'm not kidding! I want out! - Sure, you do.
That's so good.
And so does he.
It's not really the restraints that are holding him back.
That's just a mechanism.
What's holding him back are the thoughts the thoughts inside his head that he can't get rid of.
No, no! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Doc, Doc, Doc, Doc! Dr.
Gallagher! Sir! [Screams.]
Doc, I want out! This isn't a game! [Shouts, Screams.]
Please, Dr.
Gallagher, sir.
You son of a bitch! You son of a [Grunts.]
This is not a game! [On Speaker.]
You You son of a bitch! You son of a bitch! [Grunts.]
You're doing this on purpose.
Payback for the publicity stunt.
Look at him.
I am.
Are you? Is he really that good an actor? Dr.
Gallagher, please come - Are you his friend? Are you his family? - Please, Dr.
Gallagher! Or was that just another helping of Hollywood rubbish? [Sobbing.]
[Panting.]
Help him.
Please help him.
[Sobbing Continues.]
I will.
[Dings.]
[Siren Wailing.]
"Liam McBride, who voluntarily committed himself "after a breakdown on an afternoon talk show "later admitted it was all to hype his upcoming film "Crazy Going Slowly Am I.
"However, Liam has now decided to remain in the hospital "to do further research and to wage his continuing battle with prescription drugs.
" See, Hollywood's fine with drug addiction.
It's It's almost a rite of passage.
But mental illness, on the other hand You should be really proud of yourself.
He came in here pretending to be crazy and you actually made him crazy.
Proud, no.
Vindicated.
- What about the drug thing? - Pure fiction.
The panel was negative.
- So what's the treatment plan? - Psychotherapy.
- Something's gumming up the works.
- Huh.
Leaving me to fend off the media incursion the wrath of Hollywood producers and Liam's new agency.
- That's why you get paid the big bucks.
- Yeah.
I need to know about his family.
Where he grew up.
A complete and accurate history.
I'll see what I can dig up.
[Gasps.]
Oops.
What's this? Liam's official press kit.
Everything you wanted to know about Liam McBride.
Or everything the studio wanted you to know.
- Why, thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
How did you, um Slowly, painfully, I'm learning to anticipate your every need.
- And ignore most of them.
- That's for your own good.
[Exhales.]
Not in the mood? I haven't had sex in two days.
- Is that unusual? - [Scoffs.]
Unprecedented.
People think my life is so much better than theirs that all they have to do is sleep with me, and some of it rubs off.
You never been married? He never met the right girl.
He grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Yep.
Right down the street from the movie theater.
What about family? Only child.
Dad and Mom.
Dad was a plumbing contractor.
Believe it or not, Liam can fix a toilet pretty well.
His mom worked for the phone company.
How'd he get the bug? He played baseball in high school.
Team captain, junior year.
Until he broke an ankle sliding into home.
Rather than sitting around on the bench, collecting splinters he ended up in a drama class and never looked back.
His bio says he moved to the West Coast after college.
Got a job waiting tables.
Started acting classes and met Andy who discovered him and launched his career.
No.
Not Andy.
It was somebody else.
Hey.
Yeah, it's really me.
[Exhales.]
He's worse.
He's talking about Liam like he's a totally different person.
Disassociation.
Comes and goes.
And he's not worse.
He's evolving.
What does that make you, Darwin? I tried to talk to Liam about his past, and this is what I got.
"Dad was a plumbing contractor.
Believe it or not, Liam can fix a toilet pretty well.
" So? "Rather than sitting around on the bench, collecting splinters he ended up in a drama class and never looked back.
" Verbatim quotes from a studio bio.
What's the real story, Andy? I don't know.
- Liam doesn't like to talk about his past.
- Who would know? Look.
I can't help you.
Even if I could, I wouldn't, because then I'd be history, like the rest of Liam's posse.
I'm his only friend.
[Typing.]
[Beeps.]
[Dog Barking.]
[Knocking On Door.]
Door's open.
Norm, of course.
I understand.
But let's be clear.
If you don't have that check on my desk I'm gonna come over, and I'm gonna burn your building down.
Love you.
Huh.
Huh.
I think I have something for you.
- Actually, I'm here to talk about Liam.
- Oh, stop right there.
What the hell is wrong with you people? I already told the press that I don't give interviews about my former clients.
I'm Dr.
Jack Gallagher.
I'm his psychiatrist.
He's in trouble, Maggie.
I need information anything you can tell me about his past.
I had a feeling that someone like you would show up at my door one day.
Have a seat.
[Chuckles.]
I just had a really interesting phone call.
- How nice for you.
- Yeah.
It was from a Daily News reporter.
She was looking for confirmation for an anonymous tip that she'd received from in the hospital.
I've said it before: Security here is practically nonexistent.
The place is a sieve.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
- What sort of tip? That Liam McBride wasn't staying on to continue his research.
In fact, he'd had a huge breakdown as a result of his treatment here.
- Whoops.
- Yeah.
- What was your response? - No comment.
- They going with the story? - Not without confirmation.
What surprises me particularly seeing as that you were way out in front of the press on this matter is that they didn't call you.
That is surprising.
Perhaps they have yet to get to me.
My response would be the same as yours.
Do you really think this is the way you'll get rid of Jack? With petty sniping and subterfuge and in the process, defaming the good name of this hospital? Never crossed my mind.
Though, as long as we're soliciting for confessions you might as well admit, at least to yourself that you lie in bed at night, wishing that Gallagher were far, far away clearing the path for you to become director.
What I think about when I'm lying in bed at night is none of your business.
Perhaps not though I do find the topic fascinating.
- [Powering Down.]
- Oh! - Oh, God.
- [Woman.]
Did the generator kick on? What the hell? Not again.
- Oh, aren't you the Boy Scout? - [Chuckling.]
- Be prepared.
- Thank you.
Can someone please check the generator? [Chattering Continues.]
[Handle Clicking.]
[Gasps.]
- Oh! - [Grunts.]
[Screaming.]
No! No! [Grunting.]
[Dings.]
[Veronica.]
He was trying to inject himself with testosterone? Why on earth? Because he was having trouble living up to his image as the sexiest man alive.
Where did he get it? The ever-resourceful Andy, who forgot to supply a syringe.
- [Laughing.]
- Oh! So it was drugs, just not the kind we thought.
- Well, at least now we know the problem.
- No, we don't.
I agree.
Testosterone over-supplementation may cause anything from increased sex drive to shrinking testicles and mood swings but it doesn't present as a narcissistic personality disorder.
If this should leak to the press, his career is over.
- Discharge him.
- Not yet.
I think he is addicted.
His drug of choice is himself the image of Liam McBride.
Not his real name, by the way.
I think he's addicted to being the person that everybody sees him as.
- Handsome, witty, charming.
- Sex symbol.
- Most importantly.
- Testosterone was his way of self-medicating.
- Uh-huh.
- So? So I have to find a way to get him to open up.
[Knocking.]
Hey, hey.
I assume you're not here for my autograph.
[Chuckling.]
I was, uh, hoping to try something, with your permission.
What? Hypnosis.
I've seen those in old movies, but I didn't know they were still used.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, they work.
I thought hypnosis was pretty much discredited.
Like Vegas voodoo.
What's that? This? It's a deinhibitor solution.
- Spy stuff.
- Oh, I don't know.
Not dangerous.
Liam, you know, you can leave here tomorrow with those demons that keep you up at night or you can leave knowing you tried to face those demons and, uh, hopefully get on with your life.
Okay, Liam.
I want you to clear your mind of all your thoughts.
Just relax.
Now look directly into the wheel.
Take a breath.
Feel the beat of your heart.
Slow it down, down, down.
Let it go.
Now, let's go back.
Let's go back to when you first arrived in Los Angeles.
How old are you? Fourteen.
Are you by yourself? - Yeah.
- Why did you leave home? Because my mom left the house one night with her boyfriend and didn't come back.
And where was your father? I never knew my father.
All right, Liam.
How were you supporting yourself? There's this guy named Rob.
He's got a place, and a lot of guys stay there.
Um, we're partying a lot.
There's really good dope and booze and lots of pretty girls.
I'm running errands for Rob sometimes.
What kind of errands? It's all right, Liam.
We'll go back to that.
Now, you've been in Los Angeles for six months.
How are you doing? I'm broke.
I have nothing to eat.
I stole from a friend.
Rob's gonna kick me out unless I don't wanna be on the street alone.
What is Rob making you do? Rob says I can make money.
A hundred or more a night, 'cause 'cause I'm a pretty boy.
He knows older women that like to have sex with pretty boys.
I don't want to do it, but I go with him one night.
[Gulps.]
But it isn't women.
It's men.
[Jack.]
Liam.
Liam.
Liam.
What happens then? I told him I wouldn't but I'm just so strung out and he offers me 50.
I tell him a hundred.
He pays me and we do it.
Rob says it gets easier after the first time but it never did.
Liam? When I count to five and I click my fingers you will be completely and totally awake.
One, two three, four five.
[Fingers Snap.]
[Cries.]
It's all right.
It's out there now.
[Sniffles.]
We can handle it.
Mmm.
## [Piano.]
- Well, you know, at least you're dating again.
- Yeah.
But it's just you know, a little weird after being married for so long now to go shopping for condoms.
I know.
Tell me about it.
Embarrassing.
Why are you shopping for condoms? - 'Cause I'm having an affair.
- What? - Someone from work.
- Who? Rylan.
Dr.
Rylan Moore.
Isn't he, like, 18? - Nora.
- Why? - Are things with Denny so bad? - No.
It's just that It's just that when we met, we I was a 20-year-old and I just fell for a a really cute musician with zero ambition.
And guess what.
Surprise, surprise.
We just grew apart.
Oh.
I'm glad you told me.
- Yeah.
- Hmm.
I'm glad I told you too.
I don't like holding things from you.
- What? - What? Nothing.
Well, there's something I haven't told you.
I met this guy, and we had this really beautiful weekend at a ski resort in Vermont.
Ah.
I knew it.
I knew there was something more to that trip.
Us sleeping together has nothing to do with why I hired Jack.
I mean, I actually I almost didn't hire him because of that.
- Still attracted to him? - Yes.
- But nothing's gonna happen.
- You're so full of crap.
You hire a guy you slept with, you're still attracted to him and you actually think you can sit there and decide that it's not gonna happen? You married somebody that you can dominate and then you're having an affair on him with a younger guy? - And for you.
- Why, thank you.
And you.
- Mmm.
- Enjoy.
- I feel much better now.
- Me too.
[Camera Shutters Clicking.]
I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to thank you for saving my psyche, huh? A little out of character though 'cause, as you know, it's all about me.
It's not about what everybody says about you.
Okay? You have some serious work ahead.
Yeah, I know.
I'm ready.
[Elevator Bell Dings.]
[Woman.]
Liam! [Reporters Shouting.]
Stay back, please.
- What up, guys? - We're coming through.
- Liam, what was it like in there? - It was quite humbling.
- Stay back.
- A lot of very sick people here but there are also dedicated professionals trying very hard to help them.
- He's good? - Better than good.
- Just let him through, please.
- I called an old friend of mine from med school.
Specializes in personality disorders.
- Liam will start therapy straightaway.
- Oh.
Do you believe your research will make for a better film? Yeah.
Bet on it.
Pretty smooth.
- Ah, he's an actor.
- Huh.
[Nora.]
Hypnosis, huh? Any other tricks you got up your sleeve? Unfortunately, I don't even have that one.
- What do you mean? - I faked it.
A little deinhibitor solution also helped.
- There's no such thing.
- Yeah, well, he didn't know that.
- Saline? - Yeah.
All he really needed was an excuse to let go.
Oh.
Well, you really missed your calling in life.
An actor? - No way.
- [Laughing.]
- What I really want to do is direct.
- Oh! [Dings.]
[Child.]
Show's on! English - US - SDH
[Women In Audience Cheering.]
America's Sweetheart, Mr.
Nice Guy the star of the new smash hit romantic comedy Lovemate leading man of my wife's dreams, Liam McBride! Liam! - [Audience Cheering.]
- Come on out! There he is, Liam McBride! How are ya? Yeah.
- Whoo! - All right.
Here we go.
Sure.
Come on.
Have a seat.
Sit down.
Wow.
Look at that.
- Well.
- [Audience Whooping.]
I didn't get to do that with her.
All right, big fella.
- Time to get to work here.
- [Laughing.]
So So, Liam, how's it goin', my friend? - Fantastic, man.
Couldn't be better.
- Yeah, I guess so.
Well, your reputation precedes you.
In fact, it says right here that TMZ has you listed with 19 women in the last year.
- [Audience.]
Ooh! - Yeah, it's wild, man.
Completely wild.
- How do you find the time? - Well, you know what? - I'll tell ya, it's not easy.
- [Laughing.]
Yeah.
Any of 'em serious? No.
No way.
You know, they only want one thing their picture with me in Us magazine.
And they're willing to [Bleeps.]
to get it.
- [Groaning.]
- [Host Chuckling.]
All right.
Uh, what what's the new movie about then? Ah, you know.
Same old crap.
Boy meets girl.
Boy digs girl.
Girl digs boy.
Girl and boy hump like rabbits.
- All right, all right, okay.
- [Audience Gasping.]
- This isn't cable.
We We get the picture.
- No, you don't.
See, these girls, they just use you.
- I mean, everybody uses everybody.
- [Audience Gasps.]
But these no-talent bitches, they just want to ride your [Bleeps.]
to stardom.
- [Booing.]
- [Man.]
Not cool, man.
Not cool.
What the [Bleeps.]
do you think you're booing, huh? - Oh, they're just kidding around.
- No, really.
- What the [Bleeps.]
- Liam.
- Yeah, you! The fat cow in the back! - Where is he - It's all right, man.
- Oh, you want to [Bleeps.]
with me? - No, the show's Hey! - All right, let's do it! [Bleeps.]
[Grunting.]
- Get him outta here! - Get the [Bleeps.]
off me! You [Bleeps.]
dregs of society! You [Bleeps.]
pious sheep! - [Audience Jeering.]
- You self-righteous [Bleeps.]
bastards! You can't [Bleeps.]
think for yourself? You know what? [Bleeps.]
All right.
[Bleeps.]
you! Oh, you wanna [Clears Throat.]
This occurred approximately two hours ago.
What's he been doing since then? Studio security grabbed him as he was about to drive his Ferrari through the guard gate.
Just unbelievable.
This is Liam McBride, America's wet dream.
He has a history of substance abuse.
Probably on something, most likely ice.
- When's he due in? - Uh, Liam and his people, whoever they are are about to arrive in about 15 minutes.
It's about 1600 hours, General.
The media helicopters are following a black Navigator with smoked windows.
That vehicle will pull up to the curb of the E.
R.
entrance.
Oh, God, there must be a hundred paparazzi waiting there already.
That's the decoy.
Liam's manager, Andy-something will pull up to the delivery entrance at the same time.
Liam will be in the backseat, hiding.
How do we get him up on the ward? I've secured an elevator from the lobby to the third floor.
- It should work.
- It'll work.
[Chuckling.]
What is so funny? We're dealing with a major celebrity here.
In today's world, that's a flood.
There's no way we're not gonna get wet.
Not on my watch.
Who's the attending? - This is my area.
- What area? - Addiction.
- He hasn't even been diagnosed yet.
- High card wins.
- What? Uh Uh [Exhales.]
Please.
Uh Yes! King of spades.
All right.
Any other concerns? Once he gets here, we treat him like any other patient.
No special privileges.
[Man On Radio, Indistinct.]
- Hey, uh, who's who? I'm Andy Foito, Liam's manager.
- Nora Skoff.
- Nora.
- Jack Gallagher, director of Psychiatric Services.
- Help him, help him.
- [Man.]
Clear that hallway now.
Come on.
Let's go, guys.
Uh, can we get him into the ward? - I gave him a pill.
- What kind of pill? - How the hell should I know? - There was no pill.
It was a blue one.
- [Woman.]
Liam! - [Woman Screams.]
Liam! Liam! Liam! Liam! Surf's up.
[Dings.]
- [Camera Shutters Clicking.]
- [Chattering.]
All of your questions will be answered.
- [Woman.]
Dr.
Carl Belle? - Yes, that's correct.
Dr.
Carl Belle with an "E.
" - [Woman #2.]
Dr.
Belle, I have a question! - [Man.]
Question over here.
Did Liam sleep through the night? He was given a mild sedative.
He fell asleep around 11:06.
Uh, he awoke sometime before dawn, used the facilities and then went back to sleep until 8:00 this morning.
- Yes? - Have you made a diagnosis yet, Doctor? That would be premature.
We have yet to do an in-depth intake.
In order to ascertain the exact nature of the mental illness of a patient one must be patient.
- [Reporters Shouting.]
- [Carl.]
Okay, okay, okay.
- [Knocks.]
- They just caught two reporters hanging from the window ledge on Oh, my God! Can I see? Wow, it's stunning.
- Is it a secret admirer? - Nope.
- Anniversary present.
- Wedding anniversary? No.
Anniversary of my divorce.
- Oh! Right.
- [Chuckles.]
I really shouldn't have.
If you knew how much I paid for it.
No.
You deserve it.
It took me 10 years of marriage to realize I made a mistake and a bout with cancer to get me up off my ass.
The hell with it.
I think we should celebrate this.
Girls' night out? We could hit the clubs.
- Oh, I have nothing to wear.
- [Laughing.]
- We could do a lunchtime shopping spree.
- Oh.
No, not with CNN hovering.
And I've got Barbara Walters waiting on I know.
Oh.
What ledge? [Imitating Gunfire.]
[Imitating Gunfire Continues.]
I can't believe this is happening.
- How long have you been his manager? - Forever.
Got him his first big break.
I negotiated his last $20 million fee.
Has he ever broken down before? You gotta understand, Liam's an actor's actor, the real thing.
Totally immersed in his roles, and, yeah sometimes he mixes reality and fiction and doesn't come out of it until the picture's wrapped.
That's his gift.
This is all my fault.
The agency rushed him into doing his next picture.
He's been prepping for it night and day.
He's totally exhausted.
- I should've put my foot down.
- Tell me about that new movie.
[Foito.]
It's a total departure.
It's a serious role.
It's Oscar-winning material.
The producer's calling me, like, every three seconds.
- I'd like to read the script.
- Uh, you gotta understand, Doc.
It's pretty hush-hush.
- Can't have the general public knowing.
- It will just be me.
Yeah.
Okay.
And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds to fright the souls of fearful adversaries he capers nimbly in a lady's chambers to the lascivious pleasing of a lute.
Look.
Liam's not just a client.
He's my best friend.
He's like family.
But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks nor made to court - Whatever you need.
- Just get me that script.
Sportive tricks, nor made to court an amorous looking glass.
I that am rudely stamped and want love's majesty to strut before a wanton ambling nymph.
Richard III.
Not bad.
[Shouts.]
- [Wings Flapping.]
- [Birds Cawing.]
They're circling.
The gulls! Oh! Circling! - [Screams.]
- Hitchcock? Classic.
Classic symptomatology.
Auditory hallucinations, bizarre delusions, disorganized speech and behavior.
- Classic.
- If that's the case, he's chosen the wrong profession.
I would think the emotional demands of an actor would exacerbate the problem over time.
But he's been in and out of rehab for years.
Are we not gonna consider a drug component? I've ordered blood work to exclude hypothyroidism, systemic infection, H.
I.
V.
I've also ordered a C.
T.
scan and a drug panel, so [Veronica.]
Jack.
You got anything to add? Psych 101.
Textbook psychotic break.
Right.
Textbook.
A messenger brought this for you.
Thank you.
[Woman On P.
A.
.]
Music Therapy and Musicology.
The Daily News and People magazine.
They want to send a photographer to take your picture.
And Ellen, and, uh, Jules Luckman president of Liam's fan club.
Yeah, I know who he is.
Little twerp got a hold of my cell phone.
How do celebrities do it, day in and day out? I mean, your life is not your own.
You're lucky you drew the low card.
[Chuckling.]
That's Ellen.
Yeah.
Blood work? - No.
No blood.
- Hey, Liam, it's just a little No blood! No blood.
And no leech [Gasps.]
Get 'em off me.
No leeches! Get 'em off me! No leeches, no leeches.
Get 'em off me! Get 'em off me.
No leeches, no leeches.
No leeches! Get 'em off me.
- Get 'em off of me! - Hey, take it easy.
Liam.
Liam, calm down, all right? - Get 'em off me! - [Door Lock Beeps.]
[Gasping.]
I'm a little teapot, short and stout.
Here is my handle.
Here is my spout.
[Clapping.]
Bravo.
Couple of notes on performance? While psychotic behavior can include, uh disorganized speech, auditory and visual hallucinations rapid mood swings are part of a different syndrome altogether.
Kind of got your research mixed up.
Bravo to you, Doc.
You got me.
- "Crazy Going Slowly Am I"? - His new movie.
Cuckoo's Nest for the new millennium? [Exhales.]
Whoa.
This was really sick.
[Laughing Continues.]
Fooled you.
Oh.
Someone get me a damn latte.
Phew! [Dings.]
[Nora.]
He was faking it? How could a staff of trained professionals Since you are clearly not, I suggest you take your criticisms - [Laughing.]
Oh, God.
- Come here.
Look at this.
[Bleeping.]
You're the [Bleeps.]
problem! - I've seen it.
- Why not release a statement? We knew it was an act all along.
We were simply helping Mr.
McBride prepare for a, uh, difficult role about serious mental illness in order to increase public awareness.
Why not? Because we are not sailors on the Good Ship Lollipop.
We're living in the real world.
- There.
- Now I've crossed the line? You don't like me now? Guess what! You made me! I'm you! I don't create the image you self-righteous [Bleeps.]
- You think you're better than me? - What's he doin'? - Ranting.
- Performing.
You know how many cars I bought with your money? Seven Seven cars.
- You know how many boats? Three.
- They've gone to commercial.
Stage lights are off.
So who exactly is he performing for? Lots of actors perform in front of mirrors without an audience.
- It's their process.
- [Bleeps.]
Sheep! Sheep! [Liam.]
We filmed the damned thing in Cambodia.
It's a hell of a country.
- Land mines all over the place.
- Really? - Hey, Doc.
- Hey, hey.
- Excuse me.
- No hard feelings, I hope.
I do have a tremendous amount of respect for the medical profession.
Of course not.
No hard feelings.
I could never do what you do day in and day out and I apologize if I stepped out of line.
No.
Oh, hell, no.
In fact, I've gotta hand it to you.
It was a, uh It was a hell of a publicity stunt for the movie.
I loved the gull thing.
Yeah, that was great, wasn't it? I see 'em all the time.
I got a place on the beach in Malibu.
- Andy's a genius.
- It was Andy's idea? It wasn't, uh What do you call him? Your agent? - Your publicist? - No, no, no.
Those fools? I fired their asses.
So what'd you think of the script? It was good, a real page-turner.
Yeah, it's fantastic, isn't it? Okay.
I'm ready.
- Drop by anytime.
- [Scoffs.]
Yeah.
- You mean that? - Yeah.
It's for a good cause.
- Yeah, it is.
Glad you see it that way.
- A shame, really.
- What? - Well, that you're leaving.
I'm sure you've observed, uh, quite a bit since you've been here.
And I understand your movie starts shooting Monday? It's too bad you can't stick around till then.
Let it really soak in.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Never granted that kind of access, of course.
But I could swing it, if you're interested.
No way.
- You think I should? - For purely selfish reasons.
I'd like to see a, uh, psychiatric ward and treatment portrayed realistically for a change.
You can't You can't make this stuff up.
You've gotta live it.
Yeah.
No, no.
You're so right.
Otherwise, it would become, uh What's the word? Caricature.
Laughable, even.
[Lock Beeps.]
- If you're serious - I'm serious.
- I'll offer my service as your personal guide.
- Excellent.
[Carl.]
Have you lost your mind? You talked him into staying, even after the embarrassment he caused this hospital? And you personally.
He used a public facility for his own self-serving research.
He's a callous, manipulative son of a bitch, and I want him off this ward! What are you up to? Why'd you ask him to stay? - Because he's mentally ill.
- He was puttin' on a show.
He said so himself.
- He was also putting on a show when he appeared on TV.
- So? When the cameras stopped rolling and the lights went off, he was still performing.
Actually, he wasn't performing.
I think he was having a breakdown, for real and only later came up with the publicity stunt cover story.
So you actually think he is psychotic? How would you assess a patient exhibiting sexually provocative behavior melodramatic expressions of emotion, easy suggestibility a desperate need for excessive admiration and a grandiose sense of self-importance? Oh, you think he has a narcissistic personality disorder.
- So do a lot of creative types.
- Hmm.
So? Discharge him and find him a therapist.
We just agreed he has a personality disorder.
What we don't know is why.
If we discharge him now, we run the risk of another psychotic break.
- He needs to be here.
- Absolutely.
- [Door Opens.]
- Mm.
[Foito.]
Of course, I knew.
When I booked the show, Liam thought it would be a good opportunity to promote the picture.
You telling me it was his idea? And mine.
Liam might be a great actor, but you're not.
When you brought him in, you were genuinely concerned about him, and you care about him.
Obviously, he cares about you.
You survived the massacre, didn't you? - He fired his agent and publicist.
- Not just them.
The last few months, he's been cleaning house.
He also fired his personal assistant, his lawyer his trainer and his stylist.
- Liam needs psychiatric help.
- [Chuckling.]
He's an actor.
De Niro put on a hundred pounds for Raging Bull.
He got himself a hack license to drive a cab around New York for Taxi Driver.
Hoffman stays up for three days so he can get that really tortured look in Marathon Man.
Cage goes on a drinking binge in Leaving Las Vegas.
I mean, that's the biz, man.
- They're not really insane.
- Liam's on the verge of a major breakdown.
One he might not recover from.
I'm supposed to have Liam on the set of Crazy Going Slowly Monday morning.
I cannot begin to tell you how dangerous it's gonna be for him to play a mentally ill person in his present state.
We have a flight out of LAX in six hours.
He'll be on it.
- [Knocking.]
- Liam.
Doc.
I'm really glad you've taken the time to experience this.
You know, for your research.
Oh, I wouldn't have missed it.
Now, you're gonna be playing the part of a dangerously psychotic patient which probably means you'd be put in restraints.
- Is that okay? - Mm-hmm.
Radical exposure therapy is, simply put, exposing people to their biggest fears.
Like the rats in 1984.
Great book.
So, uh, let's say you're afraid to fly.
Exposure therapy would involve taking you up in a plane and forcing you to face that fear.
Got it.
So what's the patient's fear we're dealing with? - You tell me.
- What, like an improv? Okay, brilliant.
Um, fear, like, um, fear of the dark or being alone.
Perfect.
Let's start with those.
Yeah, sure.
[Clears Throat.]
Good, Liam.
You're doing great.
And let's overlay the feeling of being in a deep, dark tunnel.
Trapped, unable to escape.
Okay.
Okay.
I get it.
Lose the restraints, okay? That's good, Liam.
That's That's good.
Right about now, the patient would be feeling agitated and and be sort of begging to be set free.
Yeah, I get it.
Let's turn the lights on and take the restraints off, okay? - I'm not kidding! I want out! - Sure, you do.
That's so good.
And so does he.
It's not really the restraints that are holding him back.
That's just a mechanism.
What's holding him back are the thoughts the thoughts inside his head that he can't get rid of.
No, no! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Doc, Doc, Doc, Doc! Dr.
Gallagher! Sir! [Screams.]
Doc, I want out! This isn't a game! [Shouts, Screams.]
Please, Dr.
Gallagher, sir.
You son of a bitch! You son of a [Grunts.]
This is not a game! [On Speaker.]
You You son of a bitch! You son of a bitch! [Grunts.]
You're doing this on purpose.
Payback for the publicity stunt.
Look at him.
I am.
Are you? Is he really that good an actor? Dr.
Gallagher, please come - Are you his friend? Are you his family? - Please, Dr.
Gallagher! Or was that just another helping of Hollywood rubbish? [Sobbing.]
[Panting.]
Help him.
Please help him.
[Sobbing Continues.]
I will.
[Dings.]
[Siren Wailing.]
"Liam McBride, who voluntarily committed himself "after a breakdown on an afternoon talk show "later admitted it was all to hype his upcoming film "Crazy Going Slowly Am I.
"However, Liam has now decided to remain in the hospital "to do further research and to wage his continuing battle with prescription drugs.
" See, Hollywood's fine with drug addiction.
It's It's almost a rite of passage.
But mental illness, on the other hand You should be really proud of yourself.
He came in here pretending to be crazy and you actually made him crazy.
Proud, no.
Vindicated.
- What about the drug thing? - Pure fiction.
The panel was negative.
- So what's the treatment plan? - Psychotherapy.
- Something's gumming up the works.
- Huh.
Leaving me to fend off the media incursion the wrath of Hollywood producers and Liam's new agency.
- That's why you get paid the big bucks.
- Yeah.
I need to know about his family.
Where he grew up.
A complete and accurate history.
I'll see what I can dig up.
[Gasps.]
Oops.
What's this? Liam's official press kit.
Everything you wanted to know about Liam McBride.
Or everything the studio wanted you to know.
- Why, thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
How did you, um Slowly, painfully, I'm learning to anticipate your every need.
- And ignore most of them.
- That's for your own good.
[Exhales.]
Not in the mood? I haven't had sex in two days.
- Is that unusual? - [Scoffs.]
Unprecedented.
People think my life is so much better than theirs that all they have to do is sleep with me, and some of it rubs off.
You never been married? He never met the right girl.
He grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Yep.
Right down the street from the movie theater.
What about family? Only child.
Dad and Mom.
Dad was a plumbing contractor.
Believe it or not, Liam can fix a toilet pretty well.
His mom worked for the phone company.
How'd he get the bug? He played baseball in high school.
Team captain, junior year.
Until he broke an ankle sliding into home.
Rather than sitting around on the bench, collecting splinters he ended up in a drama class and never looked back.
His bio says he moved to the West Coast after college.
Got a job waiting tables.
Started acting classes and met Andy who discovered him and launched his career.
No.
Not Andy.
It was somebody else.
Hey.
Yeah, it's really me.
[Exhales.]
He's worse.
He's talking about Liam like he's a totally different person.
Disassociation.
Comes and goes.
And he's not worse.
He's evolving.
What does that make you, Darwin? I tried to talk to Liam about his past, and this is what I got.
"Dad was a plumbing contractor.
Believe it or not, Liam can fix a toilet pretty well.
" So? "Rather than sitting around on the bench, collecting splinters he ended up in a drama class and never looked back.
" Verbatim quotes from a studio bio.
What's the real story, Andy? I don't know.
- Liam doesn't like to talk about his past.
- Who would know? Look.
I can't help you.
Even if I could, I wouldn't, because then I'd be history, like the rest of Liam's posse.
I'm his only friend.
[Typing.]
[Beeps.]
[Dog Barking.]
[Knocking On Door.]
Door's open.
Norm, of course.
I understand.
But let's be clear.
If you don't have that check on my desk I'm gonna come over, and I'm gonna burn your building down.
Love you.
Huh.
Huh.
I think I have something for you.
- Actually, I'm here to talk about Liam.
- Oh, stop right there.
What the hell is wrong with you people? I already told the press that I don't give interviews about my former clients.
I'm Dr.
Jack Gallagher.
I'm his psychiatrist.
He's in trouble, Maggie.
I need information anything you can tell me about his past.
I had a feeling that someone like you would show up at my door one day.
Have a seat.
[Chuckles.]
I just had a really interesting phone call.
- How nice for you.
- Yeah.
It was from a Daily News reporter.
She was looking for confirmation for an anonymous tip that she'd received from in the hospital.
I've said it before: Security here is practically nonexistent.
The place is a sieve.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
- What sort of tip? That Liam McBride wasn't staying on to continue his research.
In fact, he'd had a huge breakdown as a result of his treatment here.
- Whoops.
- Yeah.
- What was your response? - No comment.
- They going with the story? - Not without confirmation.
What surprises me particularly seeing as that you were way out in front of the press on this matter is that they didn't call you.
That is surprising.
Perhaps they have yet to get to me.
My response would be the same as yours.
Do you really think this is the way you'll get rid of Jack? With petty sniping and subterfuge and in the process, defaming the good name of this hospital? Never crossed my mind.
Though, as long as we're soliciting for confessions you might as well admit, at least to yourself that you lie in bed at night, wishing that Gallagher were far, far away clearing the path for you to become director.
What I think about when I'm lying in bed at night is none of your business.
Perhaps not though I do find the topic fascinating.
- [Powering Down.]
- Oh! - Oh, God.
- [Woman.]
Did the generator kick on? What the hell? Not again.
- Oh, aren't you the Boy Scout? - [Chuckling.]
- Be prepared.
- Thank you.
Can someone please check the generator? [Chattering Continues.]
[Handle Clicking.]
[Gasps.]
- Oh! - [Grunts.]
[Screaming.]
No! No! [Grunting.]
[Dings.]
[Veronica.]
He was trying to inject himself with testosterone? Why on earth? Because he was having trouble living up to his image as the sexiest man alive.
Where did he get it? The ever-resourceful Andy, who forgot to supply a syringe.
- [Laughing.]
- Oh! So it was drugs, just not the kind we thought.
- Well, at least now we know the problem.
- No, we don't.
I agree.
Testosterone over-supplementation may cause anything from increased sex drive to shrinking testicles and mood swings but it doesn't present as a narcissistic personality disorder.
If this should leak to the press, his career is over.
- Discharge him.
- Not yet.
I think he is addicted.
His drug of choice is himself the image of Liam McBride.
Not his real name, by the way.
I think he's addicted to being the person that everybody sees him as.
- Handsome, witty, charming.
- Sex symbol.
- Most importantly.
- Testosterone was his way of self-medicating.
- Uh-huh.
- So? So I have to find a way to get him to open up.
[Knocking.]
Hey, hey.
I assume you're not here for my autograph.
[Chuckling.]
I was, uh, hoping to try something, with your permission.
What? Hypnosis.
I've seen those in old movies, but I didn't know they were still used.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, they work.
I thought hypnosis was pretty much discredited.
Like Vegas voodoo.
What's that? This? It's a deinhibitor solution.
- Spy stuff.
- Oh, I don't know.
Not dangerous.
Liam, you know, you can leave here tomorrow with those demons that keep you up at night or you can leave knowing you tried to face those demons and, uh, hopefully get on with your life.
Okay, Liam.
I want you to clear your mind of all your thoughts.
Just relax.
Now look directly into the wheel.
Take a breath.
Feel the beat of your heart.
Slow it down, down, down.
Let it go.
Now, let's go back.
Let's go back to when you first arrived in Los Angeles.
How old are you? Fourteen.
Are you by yourself? - Yeah.
- Why did you leave home? Because my mom left the house one night with her boyfriend and didn't come back.
And where was your father? I never knew my father.
All right, Liam.
How were you supporting yourself? There's this guy named Rob.
He's got a place, and a lot of guys stay there.
Um, we're partying a lot.
There's really good dope and booze and lots of pretty girls.
I'm running errands for Rob sometimes.
What kind of errands? It's all right, Liam.
We'll go back to that.
Now, you've been in Los Angeles for six months.
How are you doing? I'm broke.
I have nothing to eat.
I stole from a friend.
Rob's gonna kick me out unless I don't wanna be on the street alone.
What is Rob making you do? Rob says I can make money.
A hundred or more a night, 'cause 'cause I'm a pretty boy.
He knows older women that like to have sex with pretty boys.
I don't want to do it, but I go with him one night.
[Gulps.]
But it isn't women.
It's men.
[Jack.]
Liam.
Liam.
Liam.
What happens then? I told him I wouldn't but I'm just so strung out and he offers me 50.
I tell him a hundred.
He pays me and we do it.
Rob says it gets easier after the first time but it never did.
Liam? When I count to five and I click my fingers you will be completely and totally awake.
One, two three, four five.
[Fingers Snap.]
[Cries.]
It's all right.
It's out there now.
[Sniffles.]
We can handle it.
Mmm.
## [Piano.]
- Well, you know, at least you're dating again.
- Yeah.
But it's just you know, a little weird after being married for so long now to go shopping for condoms.
I know.
Tell me about it.
Embarrassing.
Why are you shopping for condoms? - 'Cause I'm having an affair.
- What? - Someone from work.
- Who? Rylan.
Dr.
Rylan Moore.
Isn't he, like, 18? - Nora.
- Why? - Are things with Denny so bad? - No.
It's just that It's just that when we met, we I was a 20-year-old and I just fell for a a really cute musician with zero ambition.
And guess what.
Surprise, surprise.
We just grew apart.
Oh.
I'm glad you told me.
- Yeah.
- Hmm.
I'm glad I told you too.
I don't like holding things from you.
- What? - What? Nothing.
Well, there's something I haven't told you.
I met this guy, and we had this really beautiful weekend at a ski resort in Vermont.
Ah.
I knew it.
I knew there was something more to that trip.
Us sleeping together has nothing to do with why I hired Jack.
I mean, I actually I almost didn't hire him because of that.
- Still attracted to him? - Yes.
- But nothing's gonna happen.
- You're so full of crap.
You hire a guy you slept with, you're still attracted to him and you actually think you can sit there and decide that it's not gonna happen? You married somebody that you can dominate and then you're having an affair on him with a younger guy? - And for you.
- Why, thank you.
And you.
- Mmm.
- Enjoy.
- I feel much better now.
- Me too.
[Camera Shutters Clicking.]
I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to thank you for saving my psyche, huh? A little out of character though 'cause, as you know, it's all about me.
It's not about what everybody says about you.
Okay? You have some serious work ahead.
Yeah, I know.
I'm ready.
[Elevator Bell Dings.]
[Woman.]
Liam! [Reporters Shouting.]
Stay back, please.
- What up, guys? - We're coming through.
- Liam, what was it like in there? - It was quite humbling.
- Stay back.
- A lot of very sick people here but there are also dedicated professionals trying very hard to help them.
- He's good? - Better than good.
- Just let him through, please.
- I called an old friend of mine from med school.
Specializes in personality disorders.
- Liam will start therapy straightaway.
- Oh.
Do you believe your research will make for a better film? Yeah.
Bet on it.
Pretty smooth.
- Ah, he's an actor.
- Huh.
[Nora.]
Hypnosis, huh? Any other tricks you got up your sleeve? Unfortunately, I don't even have that one.
- What do you mean? - I faked it.
A little deinhibitor solution also helped.
- There's no such thing.
- Yeah, well, he didn't know that.
- Saline? - Yeah.
All he really needed was an excuse to let go.
Oh.
Well, you really missed your calling in life.
An actor? - No way.
- [Laughing.]
- What I really want to do is direct.
- Oh! [Dings.]
[Child.]
Show's on! English - US - SDH