Alyson Stoner Talks Mental Wellness

Brut America

She's been working since age 6 — so Alyson Stoner knows firsthand how the entertainment industry can let its performers down when it comes to mental health. Here's how the musician, dancer, and actress is opening up the conversation.

Transcript

00:00Instead of leaning into drugs and drinking, as you might suspect a lot of

00:04kid stars to do, I went for the societally acceptable vices like ultra health and

00:12ultra achievement, but I was still really suffering inside.

00:24For any child who's in a situation where their needs are being neglected or

00:29you're asking them to try to win everyone's approval,

00:33you start to develop your survival strategy.

00:47So for me, a lot of it had to do with numbing myself emotionally and overcompensating by

00:54being a perfectionist, which landed me in rehab with eating disorders.

00:59And ironically, I actually was asking for help and I didn't have time in my schedule for my health.

01:17I don't know why we don't have mental health practitioners on every set and every tour.

01:21If you know that an artist is entering incredibly vulnerable and high pressure scenarios every day

01:27of their lives, then you need someone checking in and making sure that they can do this sustainably.

01:33You get stunt doubles, you get stunt coaches, you get people who are saying,

01:38OK, this is a hazardous, potentially risky situation.

01:41Let's provide the practitioner or the expert.

01:45And yet for the most vulnerable spaces, our mental health, emotional health,

01:49physical well-being and safety, those are completely disregarded for performers.

01:55If the pain wasn't reborn as something useful, then I would have a lot to regret and be disappointed

02:21in a lot of people and myself for creating that system and letting it just continue going on.

02:28So that's why I've shifted to advocacy and trying to get mental health practitioners

02:32on every set and looking out for people's holistic wellness.

Category

Transcript

Recommended