Although actors Chris Evans and Kristen Bell are primarily making headlines these days by promoting their respective films–Captain America: Civil War and Bad Moms–they’re also both taking the opportunity to open up about their individual personal struggles and the impact that living with anxiety and depression has had on their careers.
You’ll remember, of course, that when Evans was first approached for the role of Captain America, he turned it down. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, he shared that part of the reason he initially balked at the part wasn’t just due to the number of movies he’d be committing to–originally nine, but later trimmed down to six–but also the press junkets, red carpet premieres and other events he’d have to attend in order to promote said movies:
“A red carpet lasts, what, 30 minutes tops? But that to me is like 30 minutes of walking on hot coals. It’s not like a junket – junkets you sit in a room and they bring ’em in. I can do that all day and not have a meltdown. But the premiere – that’s overwhelming. It’s the volume of it: You’re in the center of this thing. You can fight a whole army if they line up one at a time. But if they surround you, you’re f–ked.”
For Kristen Bell, facing anxiety and depression was something she learned not to be ashamed of after finding out she would likely inherit a serotonin imbalance that both her mother and grandmother had suffered from. In an interview of “Off Camera With Sam Jones”, the actress shared that she started taking medication at an early age and continues to do so to this day:
“You would never deny a diabetic his insulin, but for some reason when someone needs a seratonin inhibitor, they’re immediately ‘crazy’ or something. … It’s a very interesting double standard that I don’t often have the ability to talk about, but I certainly feel no shame about.”
Bell and Evans are really only the most recent examples of celebrities who are being open about their mental health; actors like Lena Dunham and Jon Hamm have also discussed their histories. The more who share their stories, the more we’ll be able to chase away the stigma that so often surrounds those who are brave enough to be honest about their lives.
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