Nikki Sixx Reveals What Surprised Him Most About 'The Dirt' Movie
Martin Kielty Published: March 24, 2019
Ethan Miller, Getty Images
Nikki Sixx said scenes in The Dirt about his relationship with his mother "brought up a lot of pain" and he hadn't expected to react in that way.
The long-awaited Motley Crue biopic arrived on Netflix this Friday, with part of the story covering Sixx's history with his mom. She abandoned him at the age of six, three years after his dad had run off. Several attempts at re-connection failed over the years until her death in 2013.
"The hard part of the film for me, which I didn't expect, was seeing my relationship with my mother, who passed away a few years ago without us being able to resolve our issues," Sixx told Pollstar in a new interview. "The movie brought up a lot of pain around that. My grandparents, who aren't shown in the movie, were always there for me. But there was always sort of a hole inside me because of abandonment, being abused by my stepfathers, an alcoholic mother, being shuffled from home to home, and we tried to focus on the 'pretty drastic' measures that I ended up taking to compensate. I realized later on in therapy that I'm just a product of that upbringing. But me and my mom could never meet in the middle. It's not something I'm proud of. I'm still confused about it."
In a previous interview Sixx said the movie was partly intended as a "cautionary tale" about rock 'n' roll excess. "In making this film, it was always the band's intention to show the truth of what happens when you're young and successful, not just in rock 'n' roll, but as an athlete, politician, writer, you name it," he told Pollstar. "All of a sudden, you're in the zone, everybody loves you, the money, drugs and girls start pouring in, the touring, the crowds. We wanted to show the initial thrill of that."
He continued: "But as you get sucked into the story, the mood changes. It was important to all of us to have that shift in tone, where everybody's actions came back to bite them in the ass. And how we handled it as a band. It's easy to be on top; it's a walk in the park, but guess what… Winter comes, and it came in the movie. What I love is that you see how we made those decisions – the wrongs ones and the right one – to pull the family back together."
Sixx hailed the work of Douglas Booth, who played him in the movie, adding that all the leading cast had done well. "You accept them as the actual band members," he said. "That was important to all of us, that the actors feel like the people they're playing. Vince [Neil] told me, after watching 10 minutes, he forgot he was watching a movie about us. Douglas would become me right in front of me, which was kind of creepy. I told him, 'Don't ever do that again.'"
10 People and Events Left Out of Motley Crue's 'The Dirt' Movie
10 People and Events Left Out of Motley Crue's 'The Dirt' Movie
You Think You Know Motley Crue?
Next: The Five Best Scenes from Motley Crue's 'The Dirt'
Source: Nikki Sixx Reveals What Surprised Him Most About 'The Dirt' Movie
Filed Under: Motley Crue, Nikki Sixx, The Dirt
Motley Crue Announces John 5 Will Replace Mick Mars
Motley Crue Guitarist Mick Mars Retires From Touring
Motley Crue and Def Leppard Announce 2023 World Tour
Tommy Lee Moons Crowd to Announce He Has Joined OnlyFans
How a Jar of Grey Poupon Nearly Derailed Motley Crue's Tour
Tommy Lee Posts Fully Nude Photo of Himself on Social Media
Hairball's Stadium Tour Recap and Review, Milwaukee Tour Stop
Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett Tour Opener Photos
Tommy Lee Leaves After Five Songs Into Opening Show on Motley Crue Tour