“I took this portrait of Alec Baldwin back in 2008 on assignment for The New Yorker. At the time, he was known for being quite outspoken politically. In my preshoot conversation with him, he suggested he dress up as Uncle Sam, in bed with a beautiful black woman, as a comment on American politics. So I planned for that, as well as a number of other shots, in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria. I thought the idea of the excessive pins in this shot was a humorous nod to the modern obligation of American politicians to wear a flag pin more or less at all times.”