It was almost impossible to be too crazy to work in Hollywood, unless you were Dennis Hopper and you were really crazy. Of course, success helps. After he made 'The Hand,' everyone lost Oliver Stone's phone number. He had a really rough reputation. Yet when he came back and won an Oscar with his next picture he was back in action.
Some transgressions are easier to forgive than others.
But popular actors Robert Downey Jr. and Matthew Perry have had little trouble working, despite repeated drug relapses. Director Victor Salva, who was convicted of child molestation, works regularly, having directed several films since news of his imprisonment surfaced. But Victor went to jail, paid his debt, and I felt he wasn't a danger to anybody. In fact, I've never worked with a more decent person. If artists weren't given a second chance in Hollywood, we'd have a lot of gifted people who could never work again.