« I haven’t taken a step without pain since 2009, » the 57-year-old actor told Page Six exclusively. “I have neuropathy on a whole different level where I can’t feel my hands and my feet. But when I step on a pebble, it’s like walking through the roof. ”
In June of that year, Winters contracted a bacterial infection and suffered cardiac arrest for over two minutes while driving an ambulance through Central Park. Paramedics resuscitated him, but he suffered multiple surgeries and gangrene, resulting in the amputation of two toes and a half thumb.
But over the years the « Oz » alum has just learned to deal with the endless discomfort live.
“It’s a very strange dichotomy. It’s like, it’s very hard to figure out. There’s nothing you can do about that, ”he said. « I soaked it up because the alternative isn’t a place I want to be. »
Winters said he initially turned down his memorable role as Mayhem in the Allstate insurance advertisement because he was in the hospital for a tenth operation underwent. He eventually gave in, however, as he said, « Allstate was adamant. »
« It’s crazy to look up the Webster dictionary, the Old English definition of the word ‘chaos’ is ‘one with amputations’. » / p> Not only is Allstate reviving his Mayhem character, Winters has several other large projects in the works, including a Christmas movie called « Christmas Vs. The Walters. »
« I come from a large Scottish-Irish family and we celebrated a lot of Christmas, ”he explained. “All of our lives but I’m single with no kids so I don’t have the immediate experience at home. But … I rely on the rest of my family for that. ”
And that’s not all the » Rescue Me « star has in the pipeline. Last year he spent months in Australia filming the highly anticipated Peacock adaptation of the Netflix documentary series « Tiger King » called « Joe Exotic ».
In it he plays Jeff Lowe, the headscarf-wearing Las Vegas-loving businessman who teamed up with Joe Exotic. For the role, Winters gained 20 pounds while quarantined in a hotel room in Sydney, which he achieved by microwaving pint after pint of ice cream and drinking them like smoothies.
Winters clarified that the show doesn’t use real tigers, and he hopes it will shed some light on the troubling tiger industry.
« I took the job hoping that people who hadn’t seen the documentary would get really angry and just close these zoos because there is no reason anyone should have these wild cats in their own possession, ”he said. « It’s just awful. »
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