The guitarist of the Rolling Stones is leaning over the green baize of a snooker table quoting Russian playwright Anton Chekhov.
Ronnie Wood is slightly butchering what Chekhov actually wrote — "any idiot can face a crisis — it's day-to-day living that wears you out" — but it aptly sums up his close friend, Ronnie O'Sullivan.
The Rocket is every bit the tortured genius in 'Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything', a captivating new documentary by Sam Blair covering the 2022 season with snooker's greatest-ever player.
Director and subject met three months before filming, clicked and started filming in December 2021, climaxing at the World Championships the following May. And nearly two hours inside O'Sullivan's head are an absolute rollercoaster, and he gives every impression that living it day in, day out is a constant grind. The highs are not that high anymore; the lows more long-lasting.
Looking back, Ronnie admits he would have given up snooker entirely if it meant recapturing the normal family life
This is as much a lesson in mental health as it is a snapshot into a gifted sportsman, who has been playing the game for four decades with the eyes of the sport watching and critiquing his every move.
O'Sullivan started playing at seven, had won his first tournament two years later. By 15, he made his first maximum 147 break, turned professional a year later and claimed a first UK ranking title just week before his 18th birthday. There is a lovely moment when a young Ronnie is asked how big he wants to be. His answer? "Five-foot 10".
It is an innocence quickly eroded when his father, also Ronnie, and hero was sent to prison for murder. One of the more emotional scenes sees Ronnie Jr remembering dad being sentenced. "He just said, 'Tell my boy to win', as he was going down in court. That was 30 years ago now."
And yet, three decades on, it is still deeply affecting. He idolised his father, who made him believe anything was possible in snooker and was driven to win in many ways to please his father. We never see his parents' interviews — partly their reluctance and partly the director's choice, merely hearing their voices over footage of their son, and dad comes across as loving but also an unhealthily pushy parent.
Ronnie recalls stories of running, something which he relies on heavily today to aid his mental health, and dad driving alongside with a friend geeing him on. "Humiliating" is how he reflects on it. Looking back, he admits he would have given up snooker entirely if it meant recapturing the normal family life.
But that feels disingenuous. While he has a love-hate relationship with the sport, when he is in the groove, it is the one time when all the demons are finally shut out.
Blair admits O'Sullivan was a dream to work with. He said: "Ronnie is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and his willingness to be natural and open is remarkable."
Perhaps the best bits, and almost the rawest, come in the latter stages of the World Championship. Inside the Mercure Hotel, he says he feels every bit the prisoner like his father once was but, instead of peering through iron bars, he decries those outside enjoying themselves while he serves a sentence of sorts.
Mic'd up at the snooker table at the Crucible, he castigates himself for a missed shot. "Why the f*** has that happened? C***, f***'s sake," he complains under his breath about the state of the table and breathes heavily while chalking his cue. It quickly and deftly skips to his genius — a stunning red to dink the black — before the self-sabotage returns.
I was left worrying about his future after snooker. Will he unravel or finally be free?
Artist Damien Hirst is arguably the most astute observer: "The pressure Ronnie's under is such horrific torture. You have to wonder, is it worth it?" In another moment, he says "it's the drama" his friend aspires to, and it's drama that perpetually seems to follow him about.
Players talk about the World Championship being a gruelling marathon. O'Sullivan makes it seem much worse. With psychiatrist Steve Peters alongside, the doubts pour out, he talks of stage fright, not being able to feel his arms and being so scared he cannot go out to play.
At the end of an emotional season, he declares he has found happiness, but only perhaps in that very moment. Who knows what tomorrow brings? I was left worrying about his future after snooker. Will he unravel or finally be free? Not even he knows the answer.
Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything is exclusively in cinemas on November 21 and launches on Prime Video on November 23.
