Do “Weeds” Stars Dig Weed?
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D Dipasupil/FilmMagic(NEW YORK) — The Showtime hit Weeds is going up in smoke. The series premiere this Sunday, July 1, will mark the show’s eighth and final season.
“Weeds” had its dramedy debut in 2005, helping to boost the careers of actors Hunter Parrish and Alexander Gould, along with its leading lady, Mary-Louise Parker. The show established itself as an outstanding comedy and earned Parker a Best Actress Golden Globe for her role as the marijuana-selling mom, Nancy Botwin.
With the show going into its last season, we were curious where its stars stood on the controversial topic of toking up or keeping clean.
Here is what they’ve said:
Mary-Louise Parker: Mary-Louise Parker didn’t try pot until she was 45, according to Vanity Fair. And even then, she claims she didn’t smoke it; she licked a pot-laced lollipop once to cure her nausea when she was sick. But Parker claims the lollipop experiment left her unimpressed.
“My entire life, I never wanted anything to do with marijuana. So when I was sick, I was like, ‘What the hell?’ I was actually kind of excited about it. I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m 45 and I’m having my first pot experience!’
Hunter Parrish: Hunter Parrish says he has indeed tried pot. But it was only after his stint in the lead role of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening ended, leaving him in what he calls a “very dark place” in his life.
He told the New York Post, “I have smoked. I’m not a fan. I like to be in control. It’s something that makes me feel out of control.”
Kevin Nealon: Kevin Nealon claims to not partake in pot.
Nealon spoke with the Santa Barbara Independent about his awkward encounters with fans who refuse to believe he’s not the pot-smoking accountant he portrays on the show. He said, “When I tell them that I, Kevin Nealon, do not personally smoke marijuana, they usually wink and say, ‘That’s cool, man. Neither do we, you know, if anyone’s asking.’”
Justin Kirk: Justin Kirk doesn’t hide the fact he’s no stranger to the pot world.
The 36-year-old actor laughs, telling Scripps News, “I guess you could say that marijuana is paying my rent these days,” referring to his pot-selling character, Andy Botwin. “Used to be a time when pot used to take away from my rent.”
Elizabeth Perkins: Elizabeth Perkins openly says she is 100 percent pro-legalization.
Perkins cleared the air with Zap2it saying, “I think it is crazy that it is illegal, and I think it is crazy that people are in jail once they get busted with small amounts of marijuana. I am so pro-legalized marijuana because I just don’t see it as that dangerous of a narcotic. I don’t think that means high school students should be able to do bong hits whenever they want to. I do think (adults) should be able to do what they want in the privacy of their own home with an herb that grows in the backyard.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio