Alec Baldwin is opening up in a very revealing new interview, in which he admits to contemplating suicide.

After an angry voice mail to his daughter was leaked to the press, the actor says in the July/August issue of Playboy that his thoughts about suicide became "very serious." The 51-year-old father says, "I spoke to a lot of professionals, who helped me."

During his self-destructive phase, he offered to quit "30 Rock" and even briefly left his agent. But instead of dropping out of Hollywood, he turned the incident into a platform for struggling dads. After apologizing and making up with his daughter, Alec channeled his frustration in the child-custody court system -- which he says was the reason for his misdirected outburst -- into a book called A Promise to Ourselves. The book is a guide for divorced fathers who are struggling to remain involved in their children's lives.

He says he chose to come out on "The View" to explain his actions because he trusted the ladies at the table. "Whoopi Goldberg is a friend. I called her and said, 'Do you think I can get a fair shake?' Because when you talk about family law and parental alienation, there is this unfortunate gender-based dynamic. Could I walk into a show with a strong female audience? Would they understand my point of view? I trusted Whoopi and Barbara Walters. Whoopi is an impeccably decent person, and I am grateful she gave me a forum."