It's been more than two years since Michael Nader's (ex-Dimitri, All My Children) fall from grace. On February 24, 2001, he was caught with cocaine in an illegal social club and charged with possession and -- more scandalous -- selling. But the charges were downgraded to misdemeanor possession, and Nader was ordered by the court to undergo drug rehabilitation. He did so. Months later, Nader was summoned to a meeting with ABC executives, who told him that they wouldn't be rehiring him. Now, the actor is in the headlines again: He's suing his former employers for $32 million under the Americans With Disabilities Act. On a recent afternoon, Nader told all about the tumultuous past couple of years and the reasoning behind his lawsuit.

Digest: How are you?

Michael Nader: I'm wonderful. I'm about eight-tenths of the way through the second draft of my screenplay, which is going to be about the Jekyll and Hyde of addiction.

Digest: Is it a fictionalized account?

Nader: No, except for one area that's sort of like Traffic...

Digest: Have you written before?

Nader: No, I haven't written before.

Digest: But it comes naturally to you?

Nader: This one does because it's my life. It's really an autobiography ... [including] the events that happened to me and the events leading up to my first round of serious alcoholism.

Digest: Would you like to see it on TV? In Hollywood?

Nader: I think it could be a two-parter on HBO or USA, or it could be a motion picture.

Digest: Would you star in it?

Nader: I'd like to get -- what's his name? -- the kid from Black Hawk Down. Josh Hartnett. You at him, and he sort of looks like me when I was his age.

Digest: You've mentioned that you talked to groups about addiction.

Nader: Over the years of my first tenure in recovery, one of the things that I took great pride in was going to institutions and jails. I'd got to detox centers. I'd go to 28-day program recovery spots and speak. And I'm doing that again.

Digest: Does doing that help with your own recovery?

Nader: Absolutely.

Digest: Did the press attention make it harder for you to recover?

Nader: It didn't. I'd had my wake-up call.... There ware always intrusive, humiliating [stories].

Digest: Right after the arrest, the HIV stories started. Where did that come from?

Nader: I don't know.... All of a sudden, [it was] "Nader Purportedly HIV-Positive and Dying of AIDS." That was only there for a short time, and then Matthew Perry had his relapse. The day that Matthew hit the press, Nader and his dying issues, like a baby and bath water, were thrown out the window, and Matthew took over. They had a God-awful picture of me in some yelling scene where I did look like I was ill. And the fact of the matter was, at that time I was -- with the alcohol.

Digest: But not HIV?

Nader: No.

Digest: You're healthy?

Nader: Yes, I'm absolutely healthy -- I guess that will follow me until it's of no interest anymore.

Digest: Tell us about your decision to sue ABC.

Nader: It was not my idea.

Digest: Whose idea was it?

Nader: It was the outrage of the lawyers who handled my criminal case. What we're fighting is the morals clause.... The fact of the matter is that the disease of alcoholism and addiction, as I understand it under the Americans With Disabilities Act, is not a moral issue. It is a disease. Now, whether an arrest is a moral issue, that we will look at. If that is their stance, then why was I not fired? Why was I put under suspension?

Digest: Your first time on the show, did anybody ever say, "You need treatment?"

Nader: Well, no, I didn't have a relapse for 10 years while I was on the show. This only happened within the last year when I came back. They had let me go, and eight months later, they called and said, "We want you back on the show."

Digest: When they let you go in 1999, did it have anything to do with [drugs and alcohol]?

Nader: No, because ... before that, I had my wake-up call.... It should have been. It was when I had that DWI [in 1997].

Digest: How did they react to that?

Nader: Not even a suspension. Just, "What happened here, Mike?" And I told them what happened. What had happened was more extensive than what came out. I was beaten to the ground. The police recognized me, never read me my rights, freaked out. I was on the ground [and ended up] with 17 stitches and contusions on the ribs. With my daughter in the car. We had a big case there. But you can't do that. You can't sue the police unless you lose an eye or you're shot. Look what they did with that guy they shot [41] times. Everybody got off. But that should have been my wake-up. And it was, for a while. But I didn't cover my back with recovery.

Digest: You were dealing with the death of your mother.

Nader: I had gotten my mother [in Los Angeles] all hooked up with the care system she needed, and then she progressively got worse. When I came back on the show, about six months into it, I had to fly out. She died. And then I came back. During that period of time, I sort of went off the deep end emotionally.

Digest: That precipitated your arrest?

Nader: It did precipitate it. I can't say in all honesty that was the cause. What the cause was, I was in a relationship with someone who was younger. I had been introduced to a whole new circle of younger friends, and everyone drank. And everyone had a right to drink. A year and three months into it, I sort of dropped off on my meetings and stuff, and one night, I said, "You know what, I can have one." And that set off a slow progression of my insanity. Did I know that night that I was going somewhere illegal? No. In fact, I was going home. I had been at a club close to my house, and a bunch of people said, "Oh, come on, Mike, come down with us." I had been emotionally wrecked, wasn't ready to go to sleep and headed over there. And lo and behold.... It was a very humiliating experience. I want to say this for the record. There was a guy named Officer Soto. He and a bunch of the other detectives recognized me, and they made it possible for me to get through that night.... I owe him a great debt. In fact, he's in the movie. I'm going to find him, and he's gonna play himself.

Digest: Even in the most hideous circumstances, sometimes there is that silver lining. What good came out of this situation for you?

Nader: Well, regaining my life, my sobriety. It could have gone the other way. People have recurring problems. The two most publicized are Perry and Robert [Downey, Jr.]. Right now, they're holding. What I have that they didn't have is that long lineage of sobriety. That puts me in a safer range because I know the type of vigilance that I have to carry on with.... It is like a mathematical equation. You have to follow certain principles to get through it. If you waver from it, if you go out in those places -- the legal ones -- if you hang out with people who drink, if you don't have a social network of sobriety in your life, if you don't go to the recovery rooms, you will end up picking it up again. It's just part of the nature of addiction.

Digest: Your fans are so devoted. We've received thousands of e-mails. Some fans still petition the network to bring you back. Do you want to go back to AMC?

Nader: It's a very, very tough question. To go back to where you were told, "We never want you back." Those are harsh words.... For the fans, I would go back for a negotiated settlement of this lawsuit. I would give them six months.

Digest: You'd better put in your contract that Dimitri would not be in a coma.

Nader: Remember that? I was drooling on my shirt for three weeks.... If they want to bring me back from a business trip and create some havoc with Susan [Lucci, Erica] and her current love interest....

Digest: You had a lot of support from co-stars. Is there anyone you want to publicly acknowledge?

Nader: Absolutely. Mark Consuelos [ex-Meteo] and John Callahan [Edmund], Ray MacDonnell [Joe], an old pro, left me a beautiful message on my phone. I called to thank Ray, and at that time I was not allowed to be put through. I had no access. No one was allowed to talk to me. I didn't get to say thank you. Mark stood by my side. He was very instrumental. I had to wait, like, seven days, for Betty Ford. He helped me, and within three days I got into Hazelden. It was all because of Mark. It was a financial concern I could not meet. At that stage I was pretty emotional, psychically shattered, and Mark picked up the ball and helped me.

Digest: Speaking of finances, were you blackballed by the industry?

Nader: I understand that the industry could say, because of the bad headlines, "Oh, out-of-work actor, fallen behind alcohol and drugs. Has an attitude. Is suing the network. Why take a chance on him?"

Digest: What would you say to prospective employers?

Nader: I [gave] 10 years of pretty good service, not only to my craft, but to the character and to the ratings of that show. That should have been looked at.

Digest: Would you still consider daytime?

Nader: Sure. I'm pretty good at what I do. On March 11, I celebrate my two-year anniversary of recovery. So, hey, get on-board!

Digest: Is there anything you want to say to your fans?

Nader: They are devoted, and I love them very much. I want to thank you for the years of support and for the venue today. I really appreciate it.

May 4, 2002

Don't Count Him Out

Michael Nader lost his job on ABC's All My Children after being arrested [on suspicion of] selling drugs in February 2001 (Nader pleaded guilty to [misdemeanor] drug possession). Now the 57-year-old star -- who had a nine-year run as the soap's Count Dimitri Marick -- has filed a $31.7 million lawsuit against the network. The actor (left, with Susan Lucci), who is seeking compensation for unpaid wages and professional and emotional damages, underwent treatment at the Hazelden clinic in Minnesota after the incident and was sentenced to three years' probation in a hearing held last May. Nader claims that ABC promised to rehire him when he got better but that, despite maintaining his sobriety since the arrest, he subsequently met with ABC Daytime senior vice president of programming Felicia Behr and was, he says, "very rudely told that my return was never going to happen." (At press time, ABC had yet to be served papers and would not comment.)
"I feel I'm in the same league as Matthew Perry, Robert Downey Jr. and Darryl Strawberry," says Nader of fellow celebrities whose employers stood by them (at least initially). "We all have the same disease. We all deserve a second chance."

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April 23, 2002

Michael Nader Sues ABC

Michael Nader (ex-Dimitri, All My Children) has filed suit against ABC for breach of contract. "This lawsuit is, in a general sense, part of the path I'm on in terms of writing my autobiography," says Nader, who was dismissed from his wildly popular role as Count Andrassy after a highly publicized drug bust in February, 2001. At the time, ABC issued a statement that said in part, "If Mr. Nader gets the help that he needs and addresses his problem, and it makes sense for the show, we would be prepared to speak with Michael in the future."

After pleading guilty to misdemeanor possession last May, Nader was put on probation for three years and ordered to undergo rehab. He did so at Hazelton Clinic in Minnesota. ABC arranged a meeting in September, in which Nader was told that he wouldn't be asked back to AMC.

According to reports, Nader is seeking nearly $32 million, which includes $1.74 million in unpaid salary, $25 million in compensatory damages and $5 million for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Nader, who says he is meeting with publishers about his planned book, hopefully adds, "The autobiography will be turned into a screenplay, sort of a Boogie Nights about my life."

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April 23, 2002

Michael Nader Files Lawsuit