What can an actor do about libel?

Long story short, one of my dearest friends is an actor, and had an opening last night. This afternoon, a review was posted in a well-known paper for our state, and it contained this line:

“Could that sniffing he does suggest that he’s no stranger to cocaine?”

I’ve already advised him to have his agent and/or lawyer call the paper and demand a retraction. A) Speculations on personal life have no place in a play review. B) It’s libel. C) My friend isn’t famous… it’s not like the tabloids where people get off on reading dirt about Brangelina or Britney or whatever. My friend’s career could be at stake here.. it was vindictive and personal.

So, my friend wishes there was something he could post on his website (that I run, actually) that addresses the matter without much repercussion. As an actor, you don’t want to address bad reviews as a general rule, but this is something altogether different.

Any input?