Christina Applegate’s memoir, You With the Sad Eyes, is an honest account of her time in Hollywood.
While the 54-year-old actress briefly detailed her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, her past double mastectomies and ongoing body image struggles, her mental and physical health struggles — discussed frequently on her “MeSsy” podcast — were not the focus of the book, released on Tuesday, March 3.
Instead, Applegate detailed her long Hollywood career and how a childhood filled with trauma — like growing up around her mom Nancy Priddy’s addiction struggles — helped her become a star.
Along the way, Applegate crossed paths with some memorable A-listers. Yes, Will Ferrell and her Anchorman days gets a lengthy chapter, but he’s not the only notable name readers will come across throughout the pages. Applegate also discussed her Married … With Children days, writing about her longtime relationships with Katey Sagal and Ed O’Neill.
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There are some other stories from Applegate’s early days in the spotlight — like her crush on Johnny Depp and what went down during that date with Brad Pitt.
Keep scrolling for the biggest celebrity name-drops in Applegate’s You With the Sad Eyes memoir:
Harvey Weinstein
Applegate made one mention to the disgraced producer, recalling a moment when they crossed paths at a Hollywood party. Applegate claimed that Weinstein — who was sentenced to 23 years in prison after he was found guilty of rape and sexual assault — “was definitely afraid” of her.
“Once, at a Miramax party, I heard him being lascivious about a woman as she passed by, and before I could even think, I said, ‘Oh, come on, man. That’s just gross,’” she wrote. “Weinstein just kind of looked at me, and I could tell he was thinking, ‘Don’t talk to me like that.’ But at the same time, I could sense a different kind of appraisal, as though he was also thinking, ‘This chick doesn’t f*** around.’ And he was right to be afraid of me. I did not f*** around.”
Johnny Depp
Applegate used her old diary entries to help tell her story, including a few featuring her huge crush on Depp after appearing in his famed 1980s series 21 Jump Street.
“I was in love with Johnny Depp for years,” Appledate wrote, noting that her journals were filled with “complicated and ever-changing feelings” for the fellow actor.
One entry recalled her having “really strange dreams” about Depp.
“I can’t really analyze them because I don’t remember what they are once I wake up,” the diary entry read. “I can only remember who’s in them … Johnny.”
Kim Manners
The late director allegedly invited Applegate to “his place out in the woods” during a trip to Vancouver while she was shooting 21 Jump Street. Applegate wrote that she never told anyone what went down.
“I remember sitting, dangling my legs into the hot tub, and then my memory turns to total darkness. Everything is missing until I found myself scrambling up some stairs, with no idea where I was,” she alleged. “I had marks all over my butt, but that’s all I knew. Clearly, something bad had happened, but to this day I have no idea the full extent of it, though it’s not hard to imagine what that guy did to me.”
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Ed O’Neill
Applegate wrote that she will “always” take O’Neill’s call to this day. The actor played her father, Al Bundy, on Married … With Children.
“He’s still my dear friend,” she wrote.
Katey Sagal
Sagal played Applegate’s mother, Peg Bundy, on Married … With Children. Applegate wrote that she was “enamored” with Sagal, whom she described as “a very tough, beautiful earth mother who had lived through so much stuff.”
Brad Pitt
Applegate invited Pitt to be her date to the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. She recalled feeling “powerful and sure of myself” that night, so much so that she left with Sebastian Bach — leaving Pitt to fend for himself.
“I hate to put it like this, but Brad back then was still making his way as an actor, and he wasn’t yet THE Brad Pitt, the man of so many people’s dreams,” Applegate wrote. “We didn’t talk for many years after that.”
Anthony Kiedis
The Red Hot Chilli Pepper singer asked Applegate on a date and they went to the farmer’s market. “That’s how punk rock we were,” she wrote, adding that he eventually “dumped” her.
“My favorite thing that Antoine — that’s what we all called him — ever said to me was about how he sometimes avoided using deodorant,” she wrote.
David Boreanaz
After Applegate’s long-term romance with an abusive ex-boyfriend ended, she had a brief fling with Boreanaz. He had guest-starred on Married … With Children and they “quickly became friends.” Boreanaz made Applegate feel “safe” following her past relationship and they “dated for a few months.”
Applegate credited Boreanaz as “the reason I was finally able to get back to normal.”
Cameron Diaz
Applegate wrote that she and Diaz “clicked” when they first met in 2001 and shot The Sweetest Thing. They “really bonded” and Applegate “loved” working with the actress. Shooting that film was “such an important source of joy,” for Applegate.
You With the Sad Eyes is out now.
