Actors AnnaLynne McCord, 23, and Dominic Purcell, 41, are making a go at it. With 18 years between them and a world of difference in the values that have inspired their lives away from the cameras, does the couple have a shot at keeping their romance alive?
Much depends on whether they can embrace the value of the tattoo Dominic Purcell announced he was getting on his forearm several years ago and if the young starlet can help one of Hollywood’s most extreme Alpha men continue a new chapter in his life. Whether we see AnnaLynne McCord suiting up to hit the morning southern California surf or Dominic Purcell showing up to direct his passions to help charities remains to be seen.
When she’s not busy in front of the cameras, AnnaLynne McCord is well known for helping good causes.
“I’m a strong believer in working with organizations and giving back,” she says.
If her new beau, Prison Break star Dominic Purcell, helps out, you can bet he’ll do it in a big way.
“I’m an extremist in everything I do. I’ve accepted that. It’s the way I am,” Purcell says.
Not long ago, Purcell’s Alpha extremes took him to the edge of suicide. He talked about the experience in an interview with Mike Zimmerman for Men’s Health.
“The thing is, if you’re extreme, you’re screwed. You have normal people like my ex who can sit on a glass of wine all night long. Me, I don’t just want one glass or even one bottle. I’m the guy who wants to drink all the bottles. I can’t do anything in moderation.”
Dominic Purcell says he hit bottom in 2008.
“I had that full bottom. I was in New York City. I decided the morning after to stop drinking. And after that, I was suicidal for a weekend. I was on my hands and knees crying my ass off. For a couple of days I had that gnarly experience that my life was over. I was just like, ‘I have to end my life.’ It was that heavy.”
Today, when he’s not filming, surfing, coaching his kids sports teams (he has four children with ex Rebecca Williamson), or enjoying time with AnnaLynne McCord, Dominic Purcell still likes hanging out with other Alpha men who help him find balance.
“All the guys I hang out with are hard-core dudes. They’ve done some bad stuff in their lives. Some have spent time in jail. But you meet them and they’re just stand-up, straight-up guys. They’re at the point in their lives now where they’re all about family and being loyal to one another. I’ve never had that before. That’s the kind of positive influence I need right now.”
Purcell says his desire to succeed led to ruthlessness and selfishness that almost cost him his life.
“With that desire to succeed, you have to have ruthlessness. You have to. You also have to have selfishness. As a young man, you allow that to be all-consuming. But I’ve realized that you must keep yourself aware and try to mellow out with that, because it doesn’t serve the people around you. Very alpha male, very driven, very ambitious—they’re good qualities, but they’re also qualities that can mess you up.”
Three years ago, Purcell said he was planning to get a new tattoo to remind him daily of one of the most important lessons he’s learned.
“I think I’m going have ‘balance’ tattooed on my forearm, because it’s a big word that keeps popping up for me. Finding balance and moderation is hard for me, because extremists can’t do anything in moderation. I can’t eat ice cream without eating a whole bucket. We self-medicate to take ourselves out of mundane reality or what we perceive to be mundane reality. It’s when you stop and look inside that you realize what you thought was mundane is actually not.”
Like Dominic Purcell, many others who once turned to alcohol and substance abuse have found help in marriage and relationship education classes. Adding skills training to the foundation of love Dominic Purcell and AnnaLynne McCord today share can go a long way to helping them build a relationship that can last.
Much depends on whether they can embrace the value of the tattoo Dominic Purcell announced he was getting on his forearm several years ago and if the young starlet can help one of Hollywood’s most extreme Alpha men continue a new chapter in his life. Whether we see AnnaLynne McCord suiting up to hit the morning southern California surf or Dominic Purcell showing up to direct his passions to help charities remains to be seen.
When she’s not busy in front of the cameras, AnnaLynne McCord is well known for helping good causes.
“I’m a strong believer in working with organizations and giving back,” she says.
If her new beau, Prison Break star Dominic Purcell, helps out, you can bet he’ll do it in a big way.
“I’m an extremist in everything I do. I’ve accepted that. It’s the way I am,” Purcell says.
Not long ago, Purcell’s Alpha extremes took him to the edge of suicide. He talked about the experience in an interview with Mike Zimmerman for Men’s Health.
“The thing is, if you’re extreme, you’re screwed. You have normal people like my ex who can sit on a glass of wine all night long. Me, I don’t just want one glass or even one bottle. I’m the guy who wants to drink all the bottles. I can’t do anything in moderation.”
Dominic Purcell says he hit bottom in 2008.
“I had that full bottom. I was in New York City. I decided the morning after to stop drinking. And after that, I was suicidal for a weekend. I was on my hands and knees crying my ass off. For a couple of days I had that gnarly experience that my life was over. I was just like, ‘I have to end my life.’ It was that heavy.”
Today, when he’s not filming, surfing, coaching his kids sports teams (he has four children with ex Rebecca Williamson), or enjoying time with AnnaLynne McCord, Dominic Purcell still likes hanging out with other Alpha men who help him find balance.
Purcell says his desire to succeed led to ruthlessness and selfishness that almost cost him his life.
“With that desire to succeed, you have to have ruthlessness. You have to. You also have to have selfishness. As a young man, you allow that to be all-consuming. But I’ve realized that you must keep yourself aware and try to mellow out with that, because it doesn’t serve the people around you. Very alpha male, very driven, very ambitious—they’re good qualities, but they’re also qualities that can mess you up.”
Three years ago, Purcell said he was planning to get a new tattoo to remind him daily of one of the most important lessons he’s learned.
“I think I’m going have ‘balance’ tattooed on my forearm, because it’s a big word that keeps popping up for me. Finding balance and moderation is hard for me, because extremists can’t do anything in moderation. I can’t eat ice cream without eating a whole bucket. We self-medicate to take ourselves out of mundane reality or what we perceive to be mundane reality. It’s when you stop and look inside that you realize what you thought was mundane is actually not.”
Like Dominic Purcell, many others who once turned to alcohol and substance abuse have found help in marriage and relationship education classes. Adding skills training to the foundation of love Dominic Purcell and AnnaLynne McCord today share can go a long way to helping them build a relationship that can last.
