Woody Harrelson says he gave up weed until Willie Nelson got involved
The actor says the legendary country singer was pretty persistent
Woody Harrelson says he managed to completely quit smoking weed until Willie Nelson passed him a joint.
Alongside his lengthy and impressive acting career, the 61-year-old also co-owns a weed dispensary in West Hollywood named The Woods.
Harrelson has long been an advocate for marijuana but says that voicing his opinions 25-years back was likely a hindrance to his career.
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He told CBS Sunday Morning: "It was not a happy, frolicking, fun response."
And admitted that he didn’t think it ‘helped’ his career.
"People are just anxious to put you in a little box in this industry, you know?" Harrelson added.
However, several years back he decided to quit weed, as he wanted to be ‘emotionally available to my family, to my friends’.
Harrelson stuck to it and says it was a ‘good experiment’ but a poker game with country singer Willie Nelson saw him end his self-imposed weed-ban.
He explained: “Willie would always act like he didn't know that I quit. I'm saying for, like, the fifth time that day, 'I quit, you know?' And he's like, 'Oh, oh.' I win a big hand. He hands it right to me, and I just grab it and I take a big toke, and he goes, 'Welcome home, son!'"
Since then Harrelson has remained off the wagon - last year, while presenting at the Oscars, he even joked that he smoked a bong just before arriving.
Appearing on stage to present the Best Cinematography category, Harrelson was reunited with his White Men Can’t Jump cast members Wesley Snipes and Rosie Perez.
Alongside presenting the award, the trio took the opportunity to pay tribute to the 1992 film.
Perez reflected how 'it's just hard to believe that it's been 30 years since White Men Can't Jump'.
"Uh, you mean 30 years since I proved they could," Harrelson jokingly replied.
However, Snipes jibed: "You still look like a slow, geeky chump to me."
Pressing that he's 'in the best shape of [his] life' and 'in the zone' Harrelson was accused by Perez of being 'zoned out [...] like really high. Like, really, like zooted, up there'.
"This is true," Harrelson said. "I wish I hadn't done that bong rip in the car."
Snipes then joked that he wished he 'hadn't rolled' the bong rip with Harrelson, before Perez reflected that it would appear that she was the 'only sober one up' on stage.
"And some things haven't changed in 30 years! So, oh my gosh, these guys should have hooked me up," she said.
Topics: Woody Harrelson, Celebrity, Drugs
Claire Reid