Alyson Stoner says she went to rehab after obsessing over Hunger Games audition
Alyson Stoner is opening up about a hard time early in her career.
The Step Up actress, 28, who rose to fame after starring in Cheaper by the Dozen in 2003, spoke about the difficulties of being a child star in a recent interview with AccessHollywood. In it, she revealed that she had to check herself into rehab after obsessing over her audition for the role of Katniss Everdeen, eventually played by Jennifer Lawrence, in the first Hunger Games film.
"I am not sure I have ever shared this explicitly, but I was auditioning for the Hunger Games for the lead role, Katniss," Stoner said. "I was so committed to the audition process that I underwent very intense physical training, and I was on a very restrictive diet. My hair is starting to fall out, my skin is sallow, and I'm medically underweight. I feel obsessive about these behaviors, and I really need help. So I checked myself into rehab."
She added, "I chose to recover, and I am so fortunate I had access to the support. That's not the case for many people."
Amy Sussman/Getty Images Alyson Stoner
Stoner recalled that when she checked in to rehab for treatment, she found a lot of her work was available for patients to watch at the clinic. "When I first arrived for inpatient, some of my projects, the DVDs were on the shelf, and I had that moment of 'Is it ok if I ask them to not play those while I'm here?' and wondering, 'Am I allowed to advocate for myself that way?'" she explained. "Because typically I am here for everyone's entertainment, but right now I really need privacy and to be authentic."
The singer, dancer, and actor, who also famously starred in Missy Elliott's "Work It" music video and a slew of Disney Channel hits, also talked about how growing up on camera impacted some of her formative life experiences.
"It's very ironic, but a lot of my formative experiences happened on camera," she says. "My first kiss was on camera, in front of a crew of strangers. Also, going through puberty, suddenly I was being asked to speak and behave in these ways that felt really mature and inappropriate."
Stoner most recently lent her voice to the TV series Pete the Cat and starred in The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!). She's also been working on her own digital business, Movement Genius, which seeks to help people improve their mental health through movement.
Related content:
