Aurora Starchild
Jonah Hill gave Deadline a statement about why he will no longer promote his movies. The move comes before the release of his documentary Stutz which is about Hill’s struggles with mental health and anxiety attacks.
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The documentary, starring and directed by Jonah Hill, was filmed without any public disclosure. Public appearances have worsened the Superbad actor’s anxiety attacks. The film focuses on how this has made Hill’s tremendous fame a bit of a nightmare. Staying true to Stutz’s message, Hill has decided to announce why he’s ending his public appearances and movie promotions. He hopes that the move sends a message to other people struggling with mental health issues.
Jonah Hill Hopes Stutz Empowers People To Talk About Mental Health
“I have finished directing my second film, a documentary about me and my therapist which explores mental health in general called Stutz,” said Hill. “The whole purpose of making this film is to give therapy and the tools I’ve learned in therapy to a wide audience for private use through an entertaining film.
“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.”
“I usually cringe at letters or statements like this…”
Hill went on to explain that he hopes the documentary has a positive effect on audiences and hopes it gives them the strength they need to address their own mental health issues. He also emphasized that he’d be hypocritical to promote the film in any way which exacerbated his anxiety attacks.
“I usually cringe at letters or statements like this but I understand that I am of the privileged few who can afford to take time off,” Hill explained. “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.”
The actor has been working on other films as well, which he will not be promoting publicly. He co-wrote, co-stars, and produced the Netflix comedy You People along with first-time director and co-writer Kenya Barris. You People will also star Eddie Murphy, David Duchovny, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nia Long, and Mike Epps.
Stutz will debut this fall at film festivals. To read Jonah Hill’s full statement to Deadline, click here.
