Alec Baldwin calls for increased art funding

Actor Alec Baldwin jetted to Washington, D.C. on Monday (16Apr12) to call for increased funding for the arts.

The 30 Rock star delivered a lecture on arts policy to highlight the need for affordable public access to dance, theatre and live music, following budget cuts last year (11).

He compared parts of Hollywood to a "potato chip business - it's junk food," while urging politicians to protect the country's culture.

Baldwin tells the Associated Press, "There are tremendous parts of the country right now where there's a need for federal funding for the arts in order to bring that to people on a level that they can afford. We still have a cultural heritage to protect in this country. This is what's going to enrich people's lives.

"If I had any influence, I'd want the (National Endowment for the Arts) to have a budget of a billion dollars. We spend too much money on war in this country."

Baldwin plans to head to Capitol Hill on Tuesday (17Apr12) to lobby for more arts funding.