Although we live in dark times, one of the things we should be thankful for in the social drift of recent years is the enormous awareness of mental health and the progressive breakdown of stigmas and misgivings that revolved around her. There are more and more public figures who do not hesitate to take advantage of their position to give visibility to a problem from which they are not exempt, and the latest example of this has been Jonah Hill.
Working and making visible
The actor and director, responsible for the celebrated ‘In the 90s’ and star of films such as ‘Superbad’, ‘Infiltrated in class’, ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ or ‘Moneyball’ has announced that, as of this moment, stop participating in promotional campaigns of his films and at public events related to them due to the battle with the anxiety attacks who has been waging for two decades.
This does not mean that he has not prepared a surprise before his media blackout – not withdrawal. This is in the form of a documentary titled ‘Stutz’ in which Hill and his psychotherapist discuss different aspects of mental health while exploring the filmmaker’s anxiety issues. A work that has pedagogical will and which will be on view for the first time this fall festival season.
Jonah Hill, who will not promote his second job as a director either, has issued the following statement through the Deadline medium in which delves into his illness and the will of the project.
“I have finished directing my second film, a documentary called ‘Stutz’ about my psychotherapist and me that explores mental health in general. The purpose of making this film is to bring therapy and the tools I learned in it to the public for their personal use through an entertaining movie.
Through this journey of self-discovery within the film, I have come to the conclusion that I have spent 20 years suffering from anxiety attacks that are aggravated by media appearances and public events.
I am so grateful that the film is premiering at a prestigious festival this fall, and can’t wait to share it with audiences around the world in the hope that it will help those who are having a hard time. However, you will not see me promoting this film or any of my upcoming feature films as I take this important step to protect myself. If I got sicker going out there and doing the promotional campaign, I wouldn’t be being true to myself or the movie.
I am usually embarrassed by these types of letters or communications, but I understand that I am one of the privileged few who can afford to take time off. I will not lose my job while I work on my anxiety. With this letter and with ‘Stutz’ I hope to make it more normal for people to talk and act about these kinds of things so that they can take steps to feel better and so that the people in their lives can understand their problems more clearly.
I hope the work speaks for itself and I thank my collaborators, my business partners and everyone who reads this for their understanding and support.”
After reading the letter, it only remains thank Hill and wish him a recovery – or an improvement – as quickly as possible.