This particular shrug came about a decade ago, when Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg re-quested a meeting with Albrecht and his boss, Jeff Bewkes, to discuss a miniseries they wanted to make about World War II. Over a couple of bottles of Côtes du Rhône, which he orders for everyone and swirls before tasting, he launches into a story about what he calls “the HBO shrug”-the who-knows-if-this-is-gonna-fly-but-let’s-go-for-it bravado that was the norm while he was there. That first night, the cab deposits us at a restaurant called the Pig’s Ear, where Albrecht takes charge of a big table of colleagues and friends. What I really needed to get at the heart of was my complicated and often very difficult love relationships with women.” Contrary to the assertions he made in 2007-that alcohol made him do it-Albrecht tells me, “After years of reflection and working with specialists, I have recognized that alcohol is not an issue in my life. Instead, he says, he didn’t need to get on it. He hasn’t fallen off the wagon, he insists.
But there is one thing he does not do: deny that he still enjoys his liquor. He apologizes, again, for causing embarrassment and pain to his family and his colleagues. Over forty-eight hours, this up-from-nothing onetime comedian from Queens describes both his shame about what happened in Vegas and his deep regret about how much it cost him. Our conversations in Dublin-where he is visiting the set of Camelot, an ambitious reimagining of the King Arthur myth that will air next spring-mark his first public accounting of the events that cost him his HBO job. As for Bushmills, he adds, it didn’t measure up.īut no comeback tale is complete with-out a proper owning up, and Albrecht, who understands storytelling better than perhaps any other Hollywood executive, knows that when a hero falters, he must take responsibility before he can be redeemed. “Jameson’s was my second choice,” Albrecht replies. Powers was his favorite, he says, leaning forward to ask if the cabbie agrees. Three taster bottles of Irish whiskey were waiting for him in his Four Seasons suite when he checked in, and he says he sampled them all. Smiling broadly, he announces, “I want a drink.” But right now, after flying all day and working all afternoon, he’s beat. “Whether or not you want to see that, you get it,” Albrecht says.
Now Albrecht is wondering: How far should Starz go?ĭressed in jeans, a sky blue dress shirt, and a beloved Dolce & Gabbana leather jacket his two daughters gave him a decade ago, Albrecht says he liked the simplicity of the campaign for Blood and Sand that aired in January, right after he took the helm: a well-muscled stud, sword in hand, ready for action. “There Are No Rules in This House” is one slogan under consideration to hype Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, an upcoming prequel to Starz’s gory, sexy hit Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Arriving in Ireland today from Los Angeles, he’s spent the past few hours reviewing marketing hooks for a new Starz show. Since taking over as CEO of Starz, the premium cable channel, the 58-year-old executive has been wrestling with how explicit it needs to be to compete.
“And some Irish wine.” He also needs an answer to his question. We’re sitting in the back of a Dublin taxi on our way to dinner, which is good, he says, because he’s famished. “How much T&A do you want in your pay TV?” Chris Albrecht asks.
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