Steve Guttenberg has admitted his ego took over at the height of his Hollywood fame.
The 65-year-old actor became a huge global star thanks to his hit films ‘Cocoon’, ‘Three Men and a Baby’ and the ‘Police Academy’ franchise, and has now confessed he drank the showbiz “Kool-Aid” and became consumed with self-importance.
He told Page Six: “My God, I drank the Kool-Aid several times and went out and bought a Ferrari and had my times where I thought I was a big deal.”
The actor, whose blockbusters also included ‘Short Circuit’, added about realising fame, fortune and power was meaningless: “You get to the end of that tunnel and you realise you’re not that big a deal and that nobody’s that big a deal, right?
“The biggest, the biggest star in the world is not a big deal. The biggest CEO in the world. It’s not a big deal, right? Because you’re fungible.
“You’re human, right? You have a limited amount of time to dance on this earth. Try to do the right thing all the time.”
Steve credits his parents for eventually keeping him grounded, and said: “My dad would say to me, ‘Anytime you want, get your marbles and leave. You don’t have to stay in this thing.’
“That was great.”
Steve’s dad Stanley Jerome died in the summer of 2022 aged 89 after a battle with a series of health issues related to kidney failure – and the actor stepped away from showbiz to become a caregiver to his father until he passed away.
Along with his sister, Steve became a trained dialysis technician so his dad did not have to leave the house for his daily treatments.
He also told Page Six ahead of the publication of his upcoming memoir ‘Time to Thank: Caregiving for My Hero’: “I was in love with my dad. He was one of the smartest, strongest, kindest guys ever born on this earth.
“He was a US Army Ranger. He was a New York City policeman. He was an electronics executive. He was a caring husband and father and friend. He was a great citizen, a great patriot. And I loved being in his company.”
