CP/YouTube
"Proud," a controversial, satirical play about Prime Minister Stephen Harper, will make its Ottawa debut on Sept. 10.
Written by Michael Healey and directed by Miles Potter, the play is set after the Conservatives' 2011 federal election win, after which the main character — simply named 'prime minister' — "takes command and sets a course of unprecedented fiscal conservatism," according to the Great Canadian Theatre Company.
It also features a novice Quebec MP who "may not have even been in her riding when she was nominated and elected," says the company's artistic director. (If that description doesn’t ring a bell, read this.)
Controversy has surrounded the satire ever since Toronto's Tarragon Theatre opted not to run the play last year, reportedly over libel concerns.
Healey has since consulted with a lawyer, who said the play wasn't libelous, according to CBC, and the play was staged elsewhere in Toronto.
Healey himself plays the prime minister character, whose performance was described as "remarkably balanced, measured and humanizing," in a preview from Mooney On Theatre published by The Huffington Post Canada.
"People on the left are disappointed that the play's not more of a take-down of the current prime minister, but that’s not the point," Healey told the Ottawa Citizen.
Instead, he said, the play explores larger questions around Canadian politics.
"I'm using the Prime Minister and this government to discuss the things I want to discuss," Healey told the Globe and Mail in 2012. "What do we want out of our politicians? What kind of relationship do we want to have with each other as citizens, expressed through our politics?"
Also on HuffPost
What 3 Leaders Did This Summer
(01 of99)
Sad Homecoming(02 of99)
Harper's summer break began on a sombre note with a visit to Calgary on June 21 to assess the damage caused by floods sweeping across southern Alberta. "I've seen a little bit of flooding in Calgary before," he said. "I don't think any of us have seen anything like this."A photo captured the prime minister looking down at the flooded landscape from his helicopter.The flooding prompted Tories to postpone a party convention planned for June 27 in Calgary until October 31. (credit:CP)
So, About That Jacket..(03 of99)
Harper’s decision to wear a green military flight jacket to survey the damage proved to be somewhat controversial, with more than a few taking to Twitter to lambaste the prime minister for trying to look the part of a U.S. president or action hero.But Harper’s press secretary explained to HuffPost that the jacket was given to prime minister by the helicopter crew in 2011 while he toured the flood devastation in Manitoba."He was wearing it as a tribute to the military assisting the people in difficult times," Carl Vallée wrote in an email. (credit:CP)
Trudeau Shows Pride(04 of99)
Trudeau made a splash by marching in Canada’s largest gay pride parade in Toronto. The Liberal leader also took part in Montreal's festivities."It's my first time [at the event] in Toronto, I've celebrated many times in Montreal, but the energy here is just astounding. It's wonderful to see such celebration, such positivity and such pride," said Trudeau. (credit:CP)
And Mulcair Too!(05 of99)
The NDP leader cut loose at gay pride parades in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver this summer."There's still a lot of discrimination against the community and it's important to show that diversity is something to be respected," Mulcair said in Toronto.Harper did not participate. (credit:CP)
Don't Call It A Comeback(06 of99)
Trudeau, who made a name for himself by defeating controversial Sen. Patrick Brazeau in a charity boxing match in 2012, returned to the ring during a stop in Regina in July. (credit:CP)
STAMPEDE(07 of99)
As usual, all three leaders descended on Calgary for the annual Stampede. (credit:CP)
Not All Fun And Games(08 of99)
Harper opened up at his annual Stampede barbecue about how he was "prouder than ever" to be an Albertan in the wake of the flooding."I have served as prime minister of Canada for over seven years now and I have to admit that the strength I've seen in Albertans the past few weeks, the resilience, the kindness also of Canadians everywhere, I have to tell you I have found myself very, very deeply touched." (credit:CP)
No Time For Partisan Politics(09 of99)
Mulcair took a softer approach during his Stampede visit, staying away from partisan jabs against Conservatives."I honestly do believe the federal government is doing everything it can," Mulcair said. "They'll have our full support. There are times when we will talk partisan politics. This isn't one of them." (credit:CP)
BFFs?(10 of99)
Trudeau cozied up to Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi during the Stampede. Nenshi's tireless efforts after the floods made him arguably the most popular politician in the country this summer. (credit:CP)
Flipping Out(11 of99)
And of course, the new Liberal leader flipped some pancakes. (credit:CP/Jeff McIntosh)
Helping Out(12 of99)
Harper and his wife made sure to help with flood clean-up in High River, Alberta, and to share photos online."Had a great afternoon in High River lending a hand," Harper wrote on his official Flickr account. (credit:Flickr/PMHarper)
Men At Work(13 of99)
Not to be outdone, the Liberal leader also posted photos of his High River volunteer work to Twitter."Great afternoon of hard work in High River. Amazing, resilient people. #MissionPossible2," Trudeau wrote. (credit:Twitter, @JustinTrudeau)
Surprise!(14 of99)
While in Alberta, Harper found time to plan a surprise party for his wife's 50th birthday.The PM posted a photo capturing "the moment of surprise" to Flickr. (credit:Flickr/PMHarper)
Tragedy In Lac-Megantic(15 of99)
Harper, Mulcair and Trudeau all visited Lac-Megantic in the first week of July after a rail disaster devastated the small Quebec town. The official death toll for the disaster was set at 47. (credit:CP)
Did I Speak Too Soon?(16 of99)
Mulcair sparked controversy after suggesting to CTV News that Tory policies directly contributed to the Lac-Megantic explosion."Governments have to regulate in the public interest. Nothing more important in what governments do than taking care of the safety of the public. And this is another case where the government has been cutting in the wrong area,” he said.Former interim Liberal leader Bob Rae accused Mulcair of sinking to "a new low."Mulcair later denied linking the disaster with Tory budget cuts."I've been prudent not to draw the exact link," he said. (credit:CP)
Au Revoir!(17 of99)
With other leaders on the barbecue circuit, Mulcair took off in early July ... to France.The NDP leader met with the French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, the leader of the Socialist Party and other officials to discuss trade and the economy.Pundits suggested Mulcair, who holds dual French and Canadian citizenship, was attempting to beef up his international stature and appear prime ministerial. (credit:CP)
Did Somebody Say Cabinet Shuffle?(18 of99)
As expected, the prime minister brought some fresh faces into cabinet with a shuffle in mid-July. Harper tweeted the names of his ministers before the formal swearing-in at Rideau Hall in just his latest bid to improve his social media presence.Among the 10 most interesting moves? James Moores' promotion to Industy, Jason Kenney's move to Employment and Social Development and the promotion of Chris Alexander to Immigration and Shelly Glover to Heritage.Harper's team for 2015 is now set. (credit:CP)
Going West(19 of99)
Trudeau, his wife Sophie Grégoire and their children spent a good chunk of time in battleground British Columbia this summer.Intimate photos, like this one of the couple driving an RV through the B.C. interior, made a splash on social media. (credit:Facebook)
Remembering A Fallen Brother(20 of99)
Trudeau and his family hiked to Kokanee Lake, B.C., where his younger brother, Michel, was killed in a 1998 avalanche. (credit:Twitter)
Harper Goes North(21 of99)
Harper made his eighth annual tour of Canada's north in August.The prime minister thrilled kids in Hay River, Northwest Territories by inviting them to pose for a photo on the tailgate of a Hercules aircraft. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)
Ready, Aim..(22 of99)
Harper did his best Putin impression by shooting a .303 Lee Enfield rifle while taking part in a demonstration from Canadian Rangers in Nunavut. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)
But He Also Camped..(23 of99)
(credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)
And Enjoyed Music..(24 of99)
(credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)
And Went Hiking..(25 of99)
(credit:CP)
And Took Romantic Photos..(26 of99)
From Harper's Flickr account:"PM Harper and his wife, Laureen, pause for a photo at Alexandra Falls in the Northwest Territories." (credit:Stephen Harper/Flickr)
And Announced He Wants Parliament Prorogued..(27 of99)
Harper said in Whitehorse on Aug. 19 that he intended to pull the plug on a tumultuous session of Parliament and start fresh with a throne speech in the fall.. The PM's decision came amid fresh revelations in the Senate expense scandal/"Obviously, the House will be prorogued in anticipation of that. We will come back — October is our tentative timing — and we will obviously have some unfulfilled commitments that we will continue to work on," he said.Mulcair wasted no time suggesting the PM was running scared."People aren't going to be fooled," Mulcair said in a statement. "This is clearly a desperate government worn out by ethical scandals and mismanagement." (credit:CP)
And Confirmed He's IN For The Next Election(28 of99)
Harper put to rest rumours he could pack it in before the next federal election by announcing in Whitehorse that he'll be running again in 2015.A reporter asked Harper direclty whether he would lead Conservatives into the next election."The answer to the last question is, of course, yes,'' he said to cheers from partisan supporters. "I'm actually disappointed you feel the need to ask that question.'' (credit:CP)
We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat(29 of99)
Trudeau announced on Twitter in August that his wife is pregnant with the couple's third child."Thrilled to let you know we're going to need another seat in our canoe: Sophie is pregnant! #threeisthenewtwo" (credit:Twitter, @JustinTrudeau)
Trudeau's Pot Admission(30 of99)
Trudeau sat down with HuffPost Canada's Althia Raj in August and admitted that he has smoked marijuana since becoming an MP in 2008.The Liberal leader opened up about how his views about pot legalization have changed. He also revealed that his late brother, Michel Trudeau, was facing pot possession charges before his death in an avalanche in 1998 and that the experience influenced his position.Trudeau said he's smoked pot five or six times in his life.READ THE FULL STORYThe interview made national news, with Justice Minister Peter MacKay quick to slam Trudeau for setting a "poor example" for kids. A law professor, however, took MacKay to task for "misleading Canadians" by saying Trudeau broke the law by smoking pot. (credit:Getty)
He Also Installed A Dimmer, Apparently..(31 of99)
"Am I the only one who finds successfully installing a dimmer oddly satisfying? #joysofmoving #excitingmondaynight," Trudeau wrote on Twitter. (credit:Twitter, @JustinTrudeau)
Hello, Chicago!(32 of99)
Mulcair gave a speech to the United Food and Commercial Workers International union in Chicago in mid-August where he again drew a link between the Lac-Megantic disaster and government deregulation.The NDP leader accused conservatives in both Canada and the U.S. of dismantling health, safety and environmental protections in pursuit of prosperity."Across the board, conservative governments are gutting the rules meant to protect the public and imposing industry self-regulation instead," he said. "Experts from the Transportation Safety Board and Transport Canada are still investigating the role decades of deregulation played in the tragedy of Lac-Megantic." (credit:CP)
Roll Up The Red Carpet(33 of99)
Mulcair launched a cross-country, "Roll Up The Red Carpet" tour in the last week of August to publicize the NDP's support for abolishing the Senate. The NDP leader took his message from coast to coast."The Senate expense scandal — and the involvement of the Prime Minister’s Office in trying to cover it up — has served to erode even further Canadians’ trust in the Senate," Mulcair said in a statement. "The old line parties support the Senate because the Senate supports them. But more and more, Canadians can see there is a solution: abolition." (credit:CP)
Can You Smell That Writ?(34 of99)
While in Nova Scotia, Mulcair met with Premier Darrell Dexter, who is expected to call a provincial election soon.Needless to say, Mulcair and Dexter both agree it's time for the Senate to go."We put Nova Scotia’s old Senate chamber to good use — a conversation on abolishing Canada’s archaic Senate. #NDP" (credit:Twitter, @ThomasMulcair)
Policy? Chill(35 of99)
Trudeau and his fellow Grits met in Prince Edward Island for the Liberal summer caucus retreat at the end of August.The Liberal leader cautioned that his party won't be releasing any concrete policy proposals until 2015.He also drew the ire of the Parti Quebecois government in Quebec by drawing parallels between the proposed Charter of Quebec Values, which would restrict public employees from wearing religious symbols like turbans or hijabs, and U.S. segregation.Trudeau's remarks came on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech."These days when you reflect on the 50th anniversary of that magnificent speech by Dr. King, who was fighting segregation, who was fighting discrimination, who was rejection the notion that there are second-class citizens, you see that unfortunately even today, when we're talking, for instance, about this idea of a charter of Quebec values, there are still people who believe you must choose between your religion and Quebecois identity, there are people forced by the state in Quebec to make irresponsible and inconceivable choices." (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)
BUT, He Did Take Selfies..(36 of99)
(credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Rochford)
And Delighted Little Kids..(37 of99)
(credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)
And Did The Old 'That High-Five Sure Stung' Gag..(38 of99)
(credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Rochford)
And Charmed Women Having Drinks On A Patio..(39 of99)
(credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Rochford)
'Do I Seem Like I Smoke Marijuana?'(40 of99)
After Trudeau's cannabis candour, politicians across Canada were asked about their own experiences with marijuana — including Harper."Do I seem like I smoke marijuana?" Harper asked a reporter, before saying his his asthma precluded smoking.The PM then repeated earlier Tory criticism of Trudeau, whom he said showed "poor judgment" with his pot use."I look at the contrast with him promoting marijuana use for our children versus saying yesterday he will have no economic policy for several years," he said. (credit:CP)
Also, This Happened..(41 of99)
From Mulcair's Twitter:"With #NDP MP @JeanCrowder and my sister Dr. Deb Mulcair @cowgreencom in Duncan. pic.twitter.com/JWqSe3QlYc" (credit:Twitter, @ThomasMulcair)
Best Summer Ever?!(42 of99)
(credit:Twitter, @ThomasMulcair)
Rob Ford(43 of99)
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says he has had his fair share of marijuana."Oh, yeah. I've smoked a lot of it." (credit:CP)
Justin Trudeau(44 of99)
The federal Liberal leader opened up to HuffPost about his experience with marijuana in August."Sometimes, I guess, I have gotten a buzz, but other times no. I’m not really crazy about it.” (credit:CP)
Tom Mulcair(45 of99)
The Opposition leader's office told HuffPost this summer that Mulcair has smoked in the past but not since he was elected to office. Mulcair was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in 1994. (credit:CP)
Jim Flaherty(46 of99)
Said the Tory finance minister:"Yeah, in my teenage years... a couple of times, I have to admit: I didn’t like it." (credit:CP)
Marc Garneau(47 of99)
The Liberal MP and Canada's first astronaut said he tried marijuana as a student in the 1970s in England. "It's not my thing. I stopped because it wasn't doing anything for me." (credit:CP)
Kathleen Wynne(48 of99)
The premier of Ontario said she smoked pot decades ago."I have smoked marijuana but not for the last 35 years." (credit:CP)
Darrell Dexter(49 of99)
Said the premier of Nova Scotia: "Like every other person I knew back in the '70s when I went to university, some of whom are actually in this room, I would have tried it, the same as other people at that time." (credit:CP)
Tim Hudak(50 of99)
The leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario admitted he's puffed in the past."I was a normal kid, I had a normal upbringing, a normal life in university. I experimented from time to time with marijuana. It’s a long time ago in the past and in the grand scheme of things." (credit:CP)
Paul Martin(51 of99)
The former prime minister of Canada told CTV News:"The answer is: I never smoked. I never smoked anything, but there was an earlier time, years ago, when (my wife) made some brownies and they did have a strange taste." (credit:CP)
Kim Campbell(52 of99)
The former prime minister admitted while running for the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives that she tried weed."And I inhaled the smoke." (credit:CP)
Dalton McGuinty(53 of99)
The former premier of Ontario said he experimented in his teens, but only twice. (credit:CP)
Snoop Dogg(54 of99)
The rapper's 18-year-old son, Corde Calvin Broadus, caused a stir when he shared this photo of him smoking with his famous weed-loving dad. (credit:Corde Calvin Broadus/Twitter)
Soulja Boy, Wiz Khalifa(55 of99)
Is that smoke, or a new Instagram filter? Soulja Boy tweeted a photo of what appears to be him and pal Wiz Khalifa smoking out a giant bong on Jan. 3. (credit:Soulja Boy/Twitter)
Chris Brown(56 of99)
"Oh don't worry," Brown wrote on this Instagram photo he shared in December, from Amsterdam. "It's medicinal!! Lol." (credit:Chris Brown/Instagram)
Rihanna(57 of99)
Dressing up as "The Bride of Mary Jane" (get it?) for Halloween wasn't enough. Rihanna shared this controversial picture at the start of the New Year, with the caption: "This nug look like a skull or am I just....?" (credit:Rihanna/Instagram)
Michael Phelps(58 of99)
Yup. That's Olympic Gold medalist Michael Phelps smoking out of a bong, published in the now-defunct British rag News of the World in 2009. (credit:News of the World)
Barack Obama(59 of99)
President Barack Obama has admitted to smoking marijuana and using cocaine during his high school and college days. "When I was a kid, I inhaled often," he once told magazine editors, according to The New York Times. "That was the point." (credit:AP)
Steve Jobs(60 of99)
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' use of LSD in his younger days is well-documented. He once called the experience "one of the most important things in my life." His use of the drug was even noted in an FBI background check, according to Wired. (credit:AP)
Bill Clinton(61 of99)
President Bill Clinton famously admitted to trying marijuana while completing his Rhodes scholarship at Oxford. "When I was in England I experimented with marijuana a time or two, and I didn’t like it," The New York Times reported in 1992. "I didn’t inhale it, and never tried it again.” (credit:AP)
Richard Branson(62 of99)
Virgin Group chairman and founder Richard Branson is an outspoken advocate of marijuana legilization, once writing an op-ed for CNN that called for an end to the war on drugs. He reportedly asked President Obama during a White House visit if he could "have a spliff" in 2012. "They didn't have any," he added. (credit:AP)
Michael Bloomberg(63 of99)
New York City Mayor and Bloomberg L.P. founder Michael Bloomberg found himself in hot water when he admitted to smoking marijuana back in 2002, The New York Times reports. When asked by a reporter if he had ever tried pot, he responded: "You bet I did. And I enjoyed it." (credit:Getty Images)
Hugh Hefner(64 of99)
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner credits his use of marijuana later in life with changing his perspective on sex. "I didn't know what making love was all about for all those years," Hefner who supports legalization is quoted as saying in High In America: The True Story Behind NORML. "Smoking helped put me in touch with the realm of the senses." (credit:Getty Images)
George Soros(65 of99)
Billionaire investor George Soros is a known supporter of marijuana legalization and even wrote a 2010 Wall Street Journal op-ed rather straight-forwardly entitled "Why I Support Legal Marijuana." His use of the drug may be far less proflific, however. He told Reuters in 1997 that while he had "enjoyed" trying marijuana, "it did not become a habit and I have not tasted it in many years." (credit:Getty Images)
Jimmy Cayne(66 of99)
Jimmy Cayne, former CEO of Bear Stearns, kept an antacid bottle full of cocaine in his desk, according to the book The Sellout. (credit:AP)
Sarah Palin(67 of99)
The former vice presidential candidate and reality TV star told Anchorage Daily News back in 2006 that she couldn't "claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled,” CBS News reports. (credit:AP)
Bill Gates(68 of99)
Bill Gates, chairman and co-founder of Microsoft, hinted at once using LSD and marijuana in a 1994 interview with Playboy. Likewise, biographer Stephen Manes wrote that "Gates was certainly not unusual there [around drugs]. Marijuana was the pharmaceutical of choice…” (credit:Getty Images)
Larry Kudlow(69 of99)
Former Ronald Reagan economic adviser and current CNBC host Larry Kudlow is reported to have both smoked marijuana and used cocaine frequently at periods in his life. After being fired from Bear Sterns in the mid-1990s, Kudlow entered a rehabilitation program to deal with his cocaine addiction, according to New York Magazine. (credit:AP)
Naomi Campbell(70 of99)
Super model Naomi Campbell admitted in 2005 to abusing cocaine during her career. "I have admitted using illegal drugs and some years ago I recognised that I had a problem" she was quoted as saying in The Daily Mail. "I knew that it was wrong and had damaged me and I decided to try and sort myself out." (credit:Getty Images)
Peter Lewis(71 of99)
Peter Lewis, former CEO of Progressive Insurance, has both smoked marijuana and lobbied heavily for its legalization. After smoking weed recreationally in his youth, he started using it medicinally after his leg was amputated. “I was very glad I had marijuana," he told Boston Magazine. "It didn’t exactly eliminate the pain, but it made the pain tolerable — and it let me avoid those heavy-duty narcotic pain relievers that leave you incapacitated.” (credit:AP)
Arnold Schwarzenegger(72 of99)
Former California Governor and all around legend Arnold Schwarzenegger can be seen smoking marijuana in the 1977 documentary "Pumping Iron." He later said that he "did smoke a joint and I did inhale," CBS News reports. (credit:Getty Images)
Bernie Madoff(73 of99)
In a 2009 lawsuit, it was alleged that Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff frequently sent messengers to buy cocaine for "himself and the company." Actually, before Madoff's $60 billion Ponzi scheme fell apart, his office was known as "the North Pole" because of the allegedly excessive cocaine use during work hours, according to CNN. (credit:AP)
Aldous Huxley(74 of99)
Essayist and author Aldous Huxley is said to have experimented with hallucinogenics, even writing an account of his use of mescaline in "The Doors Of Perception." (credit:Alamy)
Al Gore(75 of99)
Former Vice President and climate change activist Al Gore is rumored to have smoked marijuana often in college. However, Gore characterized his marijuana use as "infrequent and rare," according to The Guardian. (credit:AP)
Maya Angelou(76 of99)
Best-selling author Maya Angelou reportedly "settled into a job as a waitress and began smoking marijuana with abandon" early in her life, according to a biography by Harold Bloom and Cindy Dyson. (credit:Alamy)
Ted Turner(77 of99)
CNN founder and Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner is rumored to have grown pot in his college dorm room, according to COED Magazine (he's reportedly also a major donor to the Kentucky Hemp Museum). After banning cigarette smoking at CNN in the early '90s, a memo emerged that claimed it "was common knowledge that Turner sits in his office and smokes marijuana." (credit:Getty Images)
Clarence Thomas(78 of99)
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas smoked marijuana "several times" in college, White House spokesman Judy Smith said back in 1991. (credit:AP)
Kary Mullis(79 of99)
Nobel Prize-winning chemist Kary Mullis credited much of his success to his use of LSD, according to Wired. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Angelina Jolie(80 of99)
"I have done just about every drug possible: cocaine, ecstasy, LSD and, my favorite, heroin."[The Mirror, 1996] (credit:Getty Images)
George Clooney(81 of99)
"I didn't live my life in the right way for politics, you know. I fucked too many chicks and did too many drugs, and that's the truth. That's gonna be my campaign slogan: 'I drank the bong water.'"[Newsweek, 2011] (credit:Getty Images)
Whoopi Goldberg(82 of99)
On smoking a joint to calm herself before winning her 1991 Oscar for "Ghost": "Smoking cigarettes and pot every now and then are my habits. And so I thought, 'I've got to relax.' So I smoked this wonderful joint that was the last of my homegrown. And honey, when [Denzel Washington] said my name and I popped up, I thought, 'Oh, fuck.'" (credit:Getty Images)
Sienna Miller(83 of99)
"I mean, I still love a waterfall or the odd hallucinogenic drug. I liked mushrooms, which were legal until a year or so ago. If I had a drug of choice, it would be magic mushrooms."[The Guardian, 2007] (credit:Getty Images)
Megan Fox(84 of99)
"I’ve done drugs, and that’s how I know I don’t like them. Cocaine is back with a vengeance. Everyone in every club is doing drugs. A lot of people are on prescription drugs. Celebrities aren’t trying to hide it, except where people have camera phones. ... I wanted to try several things and make an informed decision, but I didn’t enjoy anything other than marijuana. I don’t even think of it as a drug -- it should be legalized. I know about five people who aren’t on drugs today, and I’m one of them."[Maxim, 2007] (credit:Getty Images)
Joel Madden(85 of99)
“Without cigarettes, I would be doing heroin, probably, on a daily basis.”[Blender, 2007] (credit:Getty Images)
Oprah Winfrey(86 of99)
On doing cocaine with her boyfriend in the '70s while working as an anchorwoman in Nashville: "I did your drug. This is probably one of the hardest things I have ever said. ... I had a perfect, round, little Afro, I went to church on Sunday and I went to Wednesday prayer meetings when I could ... and I did drugs." ["The Oprah Winfrey Show," 1995] (credit:Getty Images)
Anthony Kiedis(87 of99)
"I spent most of my life looking for the quick fix and the deep kick. I shot drugs under freeway off-ramps with Mexican gangbangers and in thousand-dollar-a-day hotel suites. Now I sip vitamin-infused water and seek out wild, as opposed to farm-raised, salmon."["Scar Tissue," published 2005] (credit:Getty Images)
Drew Barrymore(88 of99)
"When I was 10 ½, I was sitting in a room with a group of young adults who were smoking pot. I wanted to try some, and they said, 'Sure. Isn't it cute, a little girl getting stoned?' Eventually that got boring, and my addict mind told me, 'Well, if smoking pot is cute, it'll also be cute to get the heavier stuff like cocaine.' It was gradual. What I did kept getting worse and worse, and I didn't care what anybody else thought."[People, 1989] (credit:Getty Images)
Nicole Richie(89 of99)
"I kind of took matters into my own hands and was creating drama in a very dangerous way. I think I was just bored, and I had seen everything. Especially when you're young, you just want more. ... At 18 I had just been doing a lot of cocaine."[People, 2007] (credit:Getty Images)
George Michael(90 of99)
"[Marijuana] keeps me sane and happy. I could write without it if I was sane and happy. ... This is the only kind of drug I ever thought worth taking."[ITV's "South Bank Show," 2008] (credit:PA)
Morgan Freeman(91 of99)
"Never give up the ganja."[The Guardian, 2003] (credit:PA)
Kirsten Dunst(92 of99)
"I've never been a major smoker, but I think America's view on weed is ridiculous. I mean, are you kidding me? If everyone smoked weed, the world would be a better place."[The Daily Mail, 2007] (credit:jpistudios.com)
Elton John(93 of99)
"I was consumed by cocaine, booze and who knows what else. I apparently never got the memo that the Me generation had ended."["Love Is the Cure: On Life, Loss and the End of AIDS," published 2012] (credit:jpistudios.com)
Frances McDormand(94 of99)
“I’m a recreational pot-smoker. ... There has never been enough of a distinction between marijuana and other drugs. In the classic, weird hygiene movies from high school, everything led to depravity -- marijuana, sex, coffee! There was no distinction made between the effects of one thing. So it’s always been lumped in with drugs in general. It’s a human rights issue, a censorship issue and a choice issue."[High Times, 2003] (credit:Getty Images)
Dennis Quaid(95 of99)
“Cocaine was even in the budgets of movies, thinly disguised. It was petty cash, you know? It was supplied, basically, on movie sets because everyone was doing it. People would make deals. Instead of having a cocktail, you’d have a line."[Newsweek, 2011] (credit:jpistudios.com)
Nicolas Cage(96 of99)
"I had a bag of mushrooms in my refrigerator. My cat used to sneak into the refrigerator and eat them. ... He ate them voraciously; it was like catnip to him. So I thought, 'What the heck, I better do it with him.' I remember lying on my bed for hours and Lewis was on the desk across my bed for hours, and we just stared at each other -- not moving, just staring at each other, and I had no doubt that he was my brother. But having said that, I don't do that anymore. And you know what? Later in life, when I was completely not doing any of that, I know he said 'Hi' to me." ["Late Show With David Letterman," 2010] (credit:Getty Images)
Johnny Depp(97 of99)
"I don't trust anyone who hasn't been self-destructive in some way. Who hasn't gone through some sort of bout of self-loathing. You've got to bang yourself around a bit to know yourself."[GQ, 2011] (credit:jpistudios.com)
Frank Ocean(98 of99)
"hi guys, i smoke pot. ok guys, bye."[Twitter, 2013] (credit:Getty Images)
Fergie(99 of99)
“I got into a scene. I started going out and taking ecstasy. From ecstasy, it went to crystal meth. With any drugs, everything is great at the beginning, and then slowly your life starts to spiral down. [I was] 90 pounds at one point.”["Oprah's Next Chapter," 2012] (credit:jpistudios.com)