tonight on "nightline" -- rescue 911. the harrowing call that may have saved demi moore's life. >> she's squeezing my hand. she can't speak. >> convulsing. and reportedly doing drugs in her beverly hills mansion. dr. drew pinsky tells us why the biggest stars have the biggest meltdown. one tough mudder. the sadistic sprint, that's one-part mud run, with a dash of electric shock. why are thousands of people paying to do it? plus, tilda tells all. from the white witch, to her role of a killer's mom. tilda swinton is as talented as she is. but tonight, she opens up about rumors of a love triangle at home. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with

terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline." january 27th, 2012. good evening. i'm terry moran. we begin tonight with fame and misfortune. and a dramatic, newly released 911 call from demi moore's home monday night. showed the actress was convul convulsing after smoking something. some reports describe nitrous oxide or whip-its, a party drug used by teens. her marriage ending. her health worrying. she seems to be sadly on that path to celebrity breakdown. here's abc's david wright. >> fire medic 137. what's the nature of your emergency? >> reporter: another celebrity cry for help. >> okay. she smoked something. it's not marijuana. but it's similar to incense. and she seems to be having convulsions of some sort. >> okay. are you with the person at this time? >> i'm actually in the other

room. >> reporter: this is the frantic 911 call from demi moore's beverly hills estate, released today by the los angeles fire department. >> right now, is she awake? >> well, semiconscious. barely. >> okay. is she breathing? >> is she breathing? yes. >> okay. and she overdosed on -- >> she's convulsing. >> reporter: according to the tmz website, moore overdosed on whip-its, small canisters of nitrous oxide. >> can you hear me? yes. she's squeezing my hand. but she can't speak. >> reporter: laughing gas, like you use at the dentist. radar online reports she was spoking something called k2 spice. >> has she done this before? >> i don't know. there's been some stuff recently that we're all just finding out. >> reporter: dr. drew pinsky is host of "celebrity rehab." while he doesn't know demi moore. but he says he's seen the symptoms in countless other stars. >> there seems to be an overlay

of narcissism. a need to use fame to fill an internal emptiness. stay young. being loved. >> reporter: he says moore appears to have hit rock-bottom, after her recent breakup with ashton kutcher. she was hospitalized for 24 hours for exhaustion. now, released and reportedly headed to rehab. >> hey, ashton. is demi okay? >> reporter: meanwhile, paparazzi caught up with her ex, as he left a brazilian nightclub in the company of a leggy bland. joe piazza is the author of "celebrity inc." >> for a man that was less mature himself, she's dealing with this as a 13-year-old would. >> reporter: she's hardly the first big-name celebrity to struggle with public demons in the public eye. she has company. who went through your head knowing this was happening to demi moore? >> what went through my head? we're going to lose another one

if she doesn't get proper care. >> reporter: moore is struggling with different demons than britney spears. spears shaved her head. then, wielded a green umbrella like a weapon at an unwelcome photographer. >> all this goes into the area of narcissism. >> reporter: demi moore has a daughter closer in age to ashton kutcher than she is. >> rumors of abusing prescription drugs, adderall, a treatment for adhd, that's sometimes used as an appetite suppressant. >> reporter: according to the tabloids, she's used drugs and probably surgery, to keep looking young. >> want some help? >> yeah. >> reporter: think of it. when demi moore played molly in "ghost," ashton kutcher was a sixth grader in iowa, 12 years old. a generation gap almost as hard to bridge -- >> i'll always love you. >>ditto. >> reporter: as the hereafter was for her character in

"ghost." >> demi was an amazing actress. but i'm using was in the past tense. she's invested the last six years of her life into being ashton kutcher's wife. and i think that's evident by her twitter handle, which became mrs. kuchar. >> reporter: so, it's really no surprise she has struggled with her self-image. as she told "harper's bazaar," quote, i would say what scares me is that i'm going to ultimately find out at the end of my life that i'm really not lovable. that i'm not worthy of being loved. that there's something fundamentally wrong with me. >> when she and ashton got together, i thought, this is not a good idea. when people are two different places in their life, it doesn't tend to work out. and she was this was going to be the solution, a younger male. >> reporter: for demi moore, this was surely a cry for help. >> subjects seek the adoration of their fans. because they are insecure and narcissistic, they need to know they're getting that love from

the fans. >> reporter: the question is, will she get the answer she's looking for? i'm david wright, for "nightline," in hollywood. >> good luck to her. our thanks to david wright for that. up next, it's the brutal, dirty, long-distance race that's designed to hurt you. but thousands are signing up. ♪ [ male announcer ] how could switchgrass in argentina, change engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing.

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>> announcer: "nightline," continues from new york city, with terry moran. it's wet. it's muddy. and it's full of pain. it's a tough mudder, a wildly popular worldwide competition by the british special forces. they claim it's, probably the toughest on the planet.

how tough? dunks in freezing water. running miles in slippery mud. we sent abc's matt gutman to find out if he has what it takes to make it through this agonizing race. >> reporter: a what? a mudder. definition, a person who pays to crawl through, be encrusted in, and sometimes flip, into mud. a tough one, a person who does it over 12 1/2 miles, through electrified wire. and what seems to be medieval torture devices. perhaps the toughest mudder? >> i got blown up with an ied. and when you woke up, you were surprised that your leg was still there? >> yeah. >> reporter: and you asked for it to be amputated. why would you do that? >> why would i have a bum leg? i'd just be walking with a cane. that's pretty much worthless. >> reporter: former marine, ben lunak, last his leg in iraq in 2005. he hasn't looked back.

climbing kilimanjaro. and now, this. it's 1 of 35 tough mudder events this year. one of the fastest-growing businesses in america. going from 50,000 participants in 2010, to a projected 500,000 in 2012. and so, every tough mudder begins, with a preemptive pledge to suck it up. >> woo. >> reporter: i love it. i love it. why would anybody do this? >> you know, people want to prove something to themselves. for everyone, it's a different reason. some are bored with conventional fitness. some, they're sitting at their office job, and nothing's actually scared them since they were about 9 years old. >> reporter: alex patterson is tough mudder's marketing chief. he comes up with names like

arctic enma and funky monkey. his job is partly to conjure up sadistic obstacles. and part to ensure the company doesn't get sued for that. what's in store next? >> in store next, the arctic enma. it's a dunker full of ice water. it's absolutely freezing. >> reporter: it's pretty cold. i don't want to tell you about my nether regions. but they no longer exist. take me with you. take me with you. i was joking, kind of. at $150 a ticket, raking in millions a year. the company may be the pacemaker. but the entire challenge race industry is grabbing america by the, ahem, jock strap. one of the reasons for success, is camaraderie. quickly, ben was becoming an inspiration to the other runners. twinkle toes was the only obstacle he thought he failed.

[ cheers ] but the miles, and the pain, begin to pile up. this can't be just halfway. less than halfway. >> it's the six-mile mark. yep. >> reporter: ben's prosthesis begins to fill with mud. the cold starts to dig into us. if you're a mudder, you now start to have fun. let me wash my face. the array of obstacles verges on the absurd. this is called walk the plank. the water, frigid and deep. divers are there to make sure nobody drowns. serious business, where no one seems to take themselves too seriously. by now, ben's prosthesis is so clogged with mud, he can barely walk. we were sure he would make it through. now, not so much. by the time we reach this doomsday machine, my teeth are

chattering uncontrollably. life was about to get much worse. >> now, we have 10,000 volts of electricity. live, dangling wires. people say, is that legal in america? well, at least right now it is. >> reporter: first, ben goes through, flag in hand. >> ouch. >> reporter: not only do we get shocked. but ben and i are knocked out cold. falling face-first in the mud. and try to get up, bang. zinged again. lights out. >> that was insane. i blacked out several times. someone was talking to me. i was flatout in the mud. i woke up in the mud. that was cool. traditional tough mudder beer in hand, we toasted ourselves, and the toughest mud. a bunch of muddy, freezing but satisfied customers. i should have gone to miami. for "nightline," i'm matt

gutman, in phoenix, arizona. >> way to go, matt. thanks for doing that for us. just ahead, actress tilda swinton sets the record straight about those open relationship swinton sets the record straight about those open relationship rumors. ourney continues across the golden state, swinton sets the record straight about those open relationship rumors. where everyone has been unbelievably nice. mornin'. i guess i'm helping them save hundreds on car insurance. it probably also doesn't hurt that i'm a world-famous advertising icon. cheers! i mean, who wouldn't want a piece of that? geico. ah... fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent oh dear... or more on car insurance. [ male announcer ] red lobster's four course seafood feast is back. get soup, salad, cheddar bay biscuits, dessert and choose one of 7 entrees. four courses for only $15. offer ends soon. i'm jody gonzalez, red lobster manager and i sea food differently. then i found new pronutrients omega-3.

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to her latest film, swinton defies the rules, as my co-anchor, cynthia mcfadden, discovered in tonight's "nightline" interview. >> and the oscar goes to tilda swinton. >> reporter: tilda swinton says just look at the tape. she did not expect to win an oscar for playing a corporate lawyer, opposite george clooney, in "michael clayton." although her portrayal of the white witch -- >> what is your name? >> reporter: in "the lion, the witch and the wardrobe," may come closer to capturing her somewhat eccentric public persona. all of the words that people use about you, you don't know. this sort of alien idea? >> that, i'm happy to. i call myself an alien when i'm in the united states, because i like feeling like an alien. >> reporter: what she clearly is, is scottish. we met up with her at mary queen

of scots, where the whisky reminds her of home. >> smell that. when it rains, this is -- >> reporter: now, 51, swinton lives in the scottish highlands. the woman who marches to her own drum when it comes to fashion, does the same when it comes to her domestic situation. there's been rumors that she lives with two men in a menage a tro trois. >> it's a mystery. so much more boring than people like to believe. all sorts of magical ideas. >> reporter: so, you have twin children. >> i have twin children, whose father is a beloved man called john byrne, who i have not lived with for seven years. and for the last seven years, i have lived with my children, and sweetheart, sandro.

>> reporter: and the children go back and forth to the households. >> sometimes. but john usually comes to us. he has a studio where he lives. and he lives in edinburgh. we sometimes go there. >> reporter: but this whole menage a trois thing is -- >> boring. what can i say? >> reporter: her work is often unconventional, too. her latest film, "we need to talk about kevin," is a deeply disturbing tale of a mother, eva, and her son who cannot connect. her portrayal is dark and painful and quite brilliant. there's a scene at the very beginning when kevin clearly has been crying and crying and crying. and she goes out and parks the stroller next to the jackhammer. and i suspect the happy audience is saying -- >> been there. >> reporter: the relationship between mother and son spirals down over the years.

spinning out of control until finally, eva lives the ultimate nightmare. >> kevin? >> reporter: her t a mass murderer. it raises so many profound, philosophical questions about the world. are some people just bad seeds? it doesn't matter what happens, they're going to turn out this way? >> that's the question. and there's no answer to that question. >> reporter: you know, you want to blame somebody. >> yeah. but what's really nightmarish is, all of that weirdness, she knows where it is, because it comes out of her. they're so alike. >> reporter: so, what was it like to play this stark role? >> well, the thing is, i never intended to be an actor. and i still don't picture myself at that goal. it's not something i learned to do. it's not something that i aimed to do. it's a sort of mistake, in a

way. >> reporter: i mean, i want to slit my wrists, i would think, if i go to that dark place. >> you don't go to the dark place as yourself. you go to the dark place as her. all i'm doing is dressing up as her and telling that story. i was wearing an eva suit. all i need to do is unzip it and take it off. >> reporter: i've never heard it described that way. that's so interesting. >> because you've always talked to professionals. you've never talked to an amateur before. >> reporter: hardly an amateur. for "nightline," i'm cynthia mcfadden, in new york. >> an interesting woman creating interesting characters. "we need to talk about kevin," her movie, it opens nationwide now, through march. thanks to cynthia for that. thank you for watching abc news. we hope you check in for "good morning america." they're working while you're sleeping. and we're always online at abcnews.com. jimmy kimmel is up