6 Actors Who Have Spoken About Living With Anxiety (And The Tools They Use)
These stars are helping normalize mental health discussions.
Real talk, living with anxiety can often feel incredibly lonely when one is dealing with it day to day. Like many mental health topics, anxiety has long been stigmatized across the world and relatively undiscussed by the public. So when big name actors like Emma Stone, or Ryan Reynolds and Chris Evans open up about dealing with anxiety themselves, it not only can make one feel less alone about the whole thing, it’s also a step in the right direction for us as a society coming to terms with how normal and OK it is to live, struggle with, and overcome anxiety.
The fact of the matter is that having anxiety is increasingly becoming known as a common experience among people. Anxiety disorders are reportedly the most common illness in the U.S. and reportedly affect 40 million adults every year, per Anxiety & Depression Association of America. Famed actors of the Hollywood community have been more open about not only having anxiety, but the unique tools they have turned to help soothe the uncomfortable feeling of nervousness and worry that can become vastly overwhelming to people. Here are some of their stories.
Emma Stone Goes To Therapy And Meditates
I’ve always admired La La Land Oscar winner Emma Stone for getting real about her anxiety, which she has spoken about for over a decade. Back in 2017, when she was on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, she shared a drawing she created of herself with a little green monster and big letters that read “I am bigger than my anxiety!” while she was in therapy as a nine-year-old. She said then she was a “very anxious child” who had a lot of panic attacks. The following year, she recalled her first panic attack at a Child Mind Institute event (via Glamour), saying this:
Panic attacks are sudden episodes of intense fear that can trigger severe physical reactions even though there is no clear and present danger, per Mayo Clinic. Stone has also shared that she was in therapy from the ages of 8 to 10 and often “could not leave” her mother’s side. When speaking about how she continues to live with anxiety, she said this:
Stone also finds it “healing” to talk about her experiences and has since realized that while anxiety is a “part of” her, it’s not who she is. She has certainly achieved so much in spite of living with anxiety throughout her life.
Exercise Helps Ryan Reynolds ‘Expel’ His Anxiety Demons
One Hollywood name who seems to be everywhere between his Deadpool films, various acting/producing efforts and business endeavors is Ryan Reynolds. In recent years, the celebrity has been more open about his life-long battle with anxiety. He shared this to Mr. Porter in 2018 about what helps him deal with it:
While anxiety can certainly debilitate people, Reynolds has found that living with it has kept him on his toes in his career, which can sometimes be a positive force in his life. The actor’s use of exercise to “expel” those anxiety "demons" has been backed by various studies. Per Anxiety & Depression Association of America, regular exercise can reduce symptoms of anxiety for hours upon end, and with a regular schedule of it may “significantly reduce them over time.” He is currently training to return for Deadpool 3 ahead of the upcoming Marvel movie hitting theaters November 8, 2024.
Amanda Seyfried On Destigmatizing Medication
Mamma Mia and The Dropout actress Amanda Seyfried has also opened up throughout the years about living with anxiety along with having obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for much of her life. Seyfried started seeing a psychiatrist in her late teens whilst she was also launching her career in Hollywood. Some of the tools the actress has cited to help her deal with anxiety (per Hope to Cope) is studying Buddhism, cognitive psychotherapy and sharing a farm with her husband and kids. Back in 2019, she told Allure that antidepressants have been helpful to her:
Unfortunately, there’s still a social stigma surrounding medications and mental illness. Seyfried’s own experiences on the subject is how it's been a tool that has helped her improve her well being. Of course, the tools one turns to should be decided based on each person’s needs. Anxiety does not have a one size fits all remedy.
Chris Evans Practices ‘Stilling’ His Mind
The MCU’s first Captain America actor, Chris Evans, has also opened up about dealing with anxiety over the years. The actor has previously shared that he began experiencing anxiety back in 2007 and began having panic attacks while shooting the 2011 movie Puncture, per The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, when he was initially asked to test for Steve Rogers he originally turned it down due to his mental health struggles. Obviously he came around, and in 2022, he shared that working in Hollywood on stages as big as Marvel has actually helped him overcome his anxiety, along with regularly practicing being present. In his words to MTV News:
How does one still their mind, you might ask? Doing breathing exercises, meditation and journaling are popular ways people practice stilling their minds like Evans has been able to do over the years. He also offered his outlook on dealing with mental suffering:
Wise words! It’s all about framing one’s mindset oftentimes, but that certainly takes practice, too.
Lili Reinhart Lets Herself Cry
Riverdale star Lili Reinhart isn’t afraid to be honest in advocating about mental health issues, including that one time she called out Kim Kardashian for rapid weight loss for the Met Gala being an unhealthy message to the public about body image. The actress has had an over 15-year journey with anxiety and one huge takeaway she shared with On Purpose with Jay Shetty is the importance of letting herself feel her feelings in her body. As she said in the 2022 interview:
Crying may often be stigmatized, too, but is also proven to be good for one’s health, due to the fact that it releases oxytocin and endorphins, which can help one release stress and emotional pain, per Harvard. Reinhart’s words are a good reminder to not skip cry sessions when you need them; it helps you release emotions you might be holding in!
Kristen Bell Keeps Things Honest With Her Feelings
Last but not least, we have to talk about Kristen Bell, who has been a huge advocate for being open about having anxiety for years and is even currently a mental health ambassador for the Hers telehealth company, which provides care for anxiety, depression, hair, birth control, and more without the need for insurance. When speaking to the partnership with People earlier this year, Bell said:
Bell has taken it upon herself to get real about her experiences after dealing with anxiety since her college years, where she began to take medication for it and depression. While one should only talk about anxiety if they are comfortable, she has shared that being real with herself and others has improved things for her. Of course, everyone deals with anxiety at different times. Let’s end with powerful words from Bell on the topic:
It’s great to hear these massive stars talk about dealing with anxiety, and while we see all the fruits of their successes, it’s not been without each of them finding the right tools over the years to help them live with anxiety day to day.
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Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.