Jonah Hill Says His Mental Health and 'Life Has Gotten Immeasurably Better' as a Result of Therapy
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Jonah Hill is facing his mental health struggles head-on in his upcoming documentary, Stutz.
The trailer for the film, which was directed by Hill, was released Monday and gives an inside look at the 38-year-old actor's unorthodox therapy session with his longtime friend and therapist Phil Stutz in an effort to shed light on the tools that can help those struggling with mental health.
"I'm just gonna acknowledge how odd this endeavor is — a patient making a movie about his therapist," Hill says. "But my life has gotten immeasurably better as a result of working with you. If it worked for me, maybe it will work for other people."
The Wolf of Wall Street star, who has been open about his recent struggles with anxiety, explains that he's allowing himself to be vulnerable in hopes of getting others to do the same and work on their own problems.
"You can't move forward without being vulnerable," Stutz tells Hill in the trailer. "Vulnerability, connection to the rest of the world. You're giving out the signal to the world, 'I need you because I can't do this by myself.' "
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"I was this wildly insecure kid," Hill says. "The work has been accepting and feeling that it's great to be this person. You are still in the struggle and in the fight of being a human just like everybody else."
Stutz adds, "Take action, no matter how frightened you are. If you can teach somebody that, they can change their whole life."
In the summer of 2022, Hill revealed in an open letter to fans that he will not promote his upcoming documentary, Stutz, citing his years-long battle with anxiety and panic attacks as part of his decision.
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"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," Hill wrote in August, per Rolling Stone. "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."
The 21 Jump Street alum went on to write that he understands he is part of "the privileged few who can afford to take time off" and he "won't lose my job while working on my anxiety," he hopes that being transparent about his anxiety will "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."
"I hope the work will speak for itself and I'm grateful to my collaborators, my business partners and to all reading this for your understanding and support," Hill concluded at the time.
Stutz will premiere on Netflix on November 14.
