"Shazam" star Zachary Levi on importance of taking care of your mental health
MIAMI - Zachary Levi plays a superhero with superpowers in the new movie "Shazam! Fury of the Gods."
But he's sending an even more powerful message after he admitted to having a mental breakdown six years ago.
Recently, Lisa Petrillo sat down with the 42-year-old actor who was open and candid about his lifelong struggle with depression and anxiety, all with the goal to help others.
"How important is it for you to say 'yes, superheroes have capes, but they have issues behind the scenes as well?'," she asked.
"It's the most important thing, I think. Ultimately, I think, mental health is the most important thing we all need to be talking about," Levi said. "I know that might sound weird, given all of the crazy things that are going on in the world right now. But I'm a firm believer that all of those things are all symptoms. If you traced all of those things like war, greed, murder, back to its roots source, it's all someone's broken heart, someone's broken mind that needs healing."
"Kids and young adults can look at you and say what do you mean, he's at the top of his game, how can anything like that happen? I think knowing that someone like you can go through these issues is a gift for them," said Petrillo.
"We all feel like we're alone in our mental struggles. But that's the initial insidious lie that that mental illness provides, which is you're alone. Nobody else is dealing with this. You're uniquely broken and no one will be able to help you. That's a lie from the pit of hell," said Levi. "We are all going through essentially the same stuff with slightly different packaging, slightly different formulas. But it's all kind of the same stuff when you boil it down. So, we're all in this together."
Levi uses therapy and meditates daily to manage his symptoms. He stressed the importance of getting help.
"There are so many resources. There are a lot of free resources online," he explained. "There are places that you can call in particular if you're in crisis. I think that friends and family are great resources to go to immediately. If you need to talk to somebody right now. But love yourself. Love yourself, love yourself, love yourself, it starts there," he said.
Levi also said eating healthy and sleeping well are very important. He added that a quick way to change your attitude right away is to just get outside and take a walk. It works wonders.
"Shazam! Fury of the Gods" is in theaters now.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can reach out to The Suicide and Crisis Hotline lifeline by calling or texting 988.
