Nick Nolte is finally speaking up about his infamous 2002 arrest and mug shot, saying he believes he looked “like an asylum inmate out for a lark.”
The actor has written a new memoir titled Rebel in which he recounts his many years in the film industry, and specifically addresses that pivotal moment in his life and career.
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“It went viral — my hair wild, my expression unsettling, looking like an asylum inmate out for a lark. In 1992, PEOPLE magazine had named me the Sexiest Man Alive, and now, 10 years later, I looked to all the world like a madman,” Nolte writes in the book.
While speaking to PEOPLE recently, Nolte explained that the drug GBH “was one substance I ran into that I shouldn’t have messed with,” as he cites it as the direct cause for that events of that personally poignant day over a decade ago.
“I took GHB prior to going to the gym for a long workout,” Nolte writes in his book. “A strong dose made me feel great, yet I knew I was repeating with GHB the addictive cycle I’d been in before.”
He reveals that while on the drug he drove to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, but believed himself to be too effected by the illegal drug to attend, ultimately driving away.
“I was a mess and driving on the Pacific Coast Highway,” Nolte says in Rebel. “I’m told six drivers called 911 to report a big sedan weaving on the wrong side of the road.”
Once he was pulled over, police officers took Nolte to a local hospital for blood tests, which is where the wild-haired photo originates.
One of the officers asked Nolte if they could take the photo. “I said, ‘Come on, you don’t really want to ask that, do you?’ ” Nolte previously told journalists.
Subsequently, Nolte allowed the officer to take his photo after the officer promised that he would share any financial compensation from it with his fellow officers.
These days, Nolte is busy raising his “fast, tough and strong,” 10-year-old daughter Sophie, and keeping busy with TV and film work.
His Epix series Graves, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe, was recently cancelled, Nolte can be seen next in The Padre, a drama film in which he co-stars with Tim Roth and Luis Guzman.
