Jonah Hill says he is taking an indefinite break from promoting his upcoming films, citing mental health struggles.
In an open letter published in Deadline, the filmmaker said that he realized he needed to take a step back from public appearances while directing “Stutz,” a documentary about mental health issues and his own mental health journey.
“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,” he wrote.
The actor and “Mid90s” director expressed gratitude that his second feature would be premiering “at a prestigious film festival this fall,” and hope that it would resonate with audiences. But he doubled down on his commitment to refrain from participating in any press surrounding the release, calling it “an important step to protect myself.”
“If I made myself sicker by going out there and promoting it, I wouldn’t be acting true to myself or to the film,” he added.
Hill announced in Nov. 2020 that he was partnering with Netflix and producer Joaquin Phoenix on a documentary about his therapist, Dr. Phil Stutz. “The idea is to make a film that frames therapy and Phil’s tools for dealing with life in a way that isn’t corny or cheesy,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “If you can’t afford therapy or there is stigma in your family and life, the idea is that you can privately use these tools based on the feelings you are having (depression, anxiety, regret etc), and use them in the privacy of your own home on Netflix.”
Ahead of last year’s “Don’t Look Up,” the 38-year-old told GQ that Phoenix had introduced him to his therapist a few months before he began shooting “Mid90s.”
“He invented a set of visualization techniques that greatly changed my life,” Hill said of Dr. Stutz. “Netflix let me make a doc on therapy and Phil’s teachings, and then it became about Phil’s life, and then it became about how insane it is that I am making a movie about my therapist, and now it’s become…I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s become very collapsed on itself.”
In recent years, Hill has been vocal about his struggles with mental health and social media, calling Instagram “the biggest killer” and “the cigarettes of this time” in the same GQ profile. In 2021, he asked Instagram users to stop leaving comments about his body after the Daily Mail published photos of him surfing. In a separate post, he discussed how “public mockery” by the media had contributed to insecurities about his body. His Instagram account has since been deactivated.
Read Hill’s full letter below: