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- Feb 25, 2015
Actor Wil Wheaton opens up about mental illness before his visit to Calgary
Actor Wil Wheaton will be returning to this year’s Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, running April 26 to 29 at Stampede Park. (COURTESY OF WIL WHEATON)
CALGARY — Sitting in the basement of his best friend’s home, rolling dice and exploring the expansive world of fantasy is what kept actor Wil Wheaton safe from the pitfalls of child stardom.
For Wheaton, that basement was his sanctuary.
“There were kids who were older than me who had the same experiences I had and they kind of self-medicated with alcohol and drugs. For me, my escape was role-play and strategy games.”
Wheaton — best known for his roles on TV’s Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Big Bang Theory — says growing up under the bright lights of Hollywood was really “weird.”
He describes himself as a very anxious and awkward kid. By 13, he hated the attention that came with being on TV. It wasn’t easy growing up under a microscope, especially with mental illness. And especially since his parents stigmatized the issue.
The actor was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder about two years ago, but says he was suffering from these mental health struggles for 15 years longer than he needed to.
Wheaton was at the airport with his wife, Anne, trying to figure out issues with their travel. The stress from the situation triggered a panic attack. His wife told him she would take care of everything, but when they got home, he needed to talk to someone about this.
He did.
Wheaton recalls the first time he realized the treatment he was getting was working. Out on a walk with Anne, he noticed the absence of his anxiety. He wasn’t scared or anxious, he was just enjoying the time with his wife.
“I realized I had been living my whole life inside a really loud, dark room. Seeing a doctor and taking medication allowed me to see the exits from that room, and being treated allowed me to walk through that door and get out of that loud room.”
Since his diagnosis, Wheaton has been vocal about his experiences with mental illness. What he hopes is that people will recognize themselves in his stories and seek the help they need.
He says that mental illness is a topic he likes to bring up at the comic cons he attends as a featured guest.
“When I’m at a con, I’ll be on stage with 1,000 to 5,000 people and I’ll say, ‘If you have never encountered a person with mental illness, make some noise’ and it’ll be dead silent,” says Wheaton. “Then I say, ‘If you feel comfortable, make some noise if you have a mental illness’ and the whole room goes bananas.”
Wheaton has been attending comic cons since long before he was being asked to attend as a speaker. He loves the environment, the safety, culture and diversity these events bring.
“It’s this place we can go to where the thing that may make us weird in the boring, regular world is the thing that makes us part of a tribe when we are at a con. I’ve always loved that sense of security we have at conventions.”
Wheaton will be returning to the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo this year. The expo runs from April 26 to 29.
Actor Wil Wheaton will be returning to this year’s Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, running April 26 to 29 at Stampede Park. (COURTESY OF WIL WHEATON)
CALGARY — Sitting in the basement of his best friend’s home, rolling dice and exploring the expansive world of fantasy is what kept actor Wil Wheaton safe from the pitfalls of child stardom.
For Wheaton, that basement was his sanctuary.
“There were kids who were older than me who had the same experiences I had and they kind of self-medicated with alcohol and drugs. For me, my escape was role-play and strategy games.”
Wheaton — best known for his roles on TV’s Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Big Bang Theory — says growing up under the bright lights of Hollywood was really “weird.”
He describes himself as a very anxious and awkward kid. By 13, he hated the attention that came with being on TV. It wasn’t easy growing up under a microscope, especially with mental illness. And especially since his parents stigmatized the issue.
The actor was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder about two years ago, but says he was suffering from these mental health struggles for 15 years longer than he needed to.
Wheaton was at the airport with his wife, Anne, trying to figure out issues with their travel. The stress from the situation triggered a panic attack. His wife told him she would take care of everything, but when they got home, he needed to talk to someone about this.
He did.
Wheaton recalls the first time he realized the treatment he was getting was working. Out on a walk with Anne, he noticed the absence of his anxiety. He wasn’t scared or anxious, he was just enjoying the time with his wife.
“I realized I had been living my whole life inside a really loud, dark room. Seeing a doctor and taking medication allowed me to see the exits from that room, and being treated allowed me to walk through that door and get out of that loud room.”
Since his diagnosis, Wheaton has been vocal about his experiences with mental illness. What he hopes is that people will recognize themselves in his stories and seek the help they need.
He says that mental illness is a topic he likes to bring up at the comic cons he attends as a featured guest.
“When I’m at a con, I’ll be on stage with 1,000 to 5,000 people and I’ll say, ‘If you have never encountered a person with mental illness, make some noise’ and it’ll be dead silent,” says Wheaton. “Then I say, ‘If you feel comfortable, make some noise if you have a mental illness’ and the whole room goes bananas.”
Wheaton has been attending comic cons since long before he was being asked to attend as a speaker. He loves the environment, the safety, culture and diversity these events bring.
“It’s this place we can go to where the thing that may make us weird in the boring, regular world is the thing that makes us part of a tribe when we are at a con. I’ve always loved that sense of security we have at conventions.”
Wheaton will be returning to the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo this year. The expo runs from April 26 to 29.
