Jonah Hill became a breakout star through his work on the comedy film Superbad in 2007. Starring alongside Michael Cera and Emma Stone, his role in the movie was received with critical acclaim. However, it wasn’t until his appearance in films like Moneyball (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), and Wolf of the Wall Street (2013) that the actor began to get noticed by the audience as a powerful comedic force on the screen.
Jonah Hill remains an invaluable actor respected within the industry as well as by the crowd of movie-goers. However, with that level of exposure to constant media also comes severe mental distress and the consequential need to seek therapy. The 38-year-old actor has recently spoken up about his struggles with mental health and absence from the public eye.
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Jonah Hill Opens Up About Suffering From Anxiety Attacks
The actor, comedian, and filmmaker has published a lengthy statement via Deadline explaining his reason for taking time away from promoting his films. Jonah Hill also announced in the letter that he has finished working on his second directorial film Stutz which focuses on mental health and Hill’s journey toward finding a safe place amid his struggles with anxiety.
“Through this journey of self-discovery within the film, I have come to the understanding that I have spent nearly 20 years experiencing anxiety attacks, which are exacerbated by media appearances and public facing events.
…However, you won’t see me out there promoting this film, or any of my upcoming films, while I take this important step to protect myself. If I made myself sicker by going out there and promoting it, I wouldn’t be acting true to myself or to the film.”
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Hill Focuses on Letting His Work Speak For Itself
The documentary film Stutz is about the actor and the time spent he spent coming to terms with his anxiety with the help of his therapist. The “journey of self-discovery” as stated by Hill was not one simply undertaken for the sake of his own unraveling and healing but somewhat of a project that he hopes will help a wider audience to face their own personal demons, in whatever way possible.
“I understand that I am of the privileged few who can afford to take time off. I won’t lose my job while working on my anxiety. With this letter and with “Stutz,” I’m hoping to make it more normal for people to talk and act on this stuff. So they can take steps towards feeling better and so that the people in their lives might understand their issues more clearly.”
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Jonah Hill ends by claiming, “I hope the work will speak for itself”. The documentary will premiere at a film festival in the coming fall this year. Hill’s other project which will see him absent from the promotion events is the Kenya Barris debut directorial film, You People which he co-wrote, produced, and stars in alongside Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis Dreyfus.
Source: Deadline
