Having been a father to three young girls, the 'Deadpool' star explains that he is determine to create a conversation around mental health since the home that he grew in was not modeled for him.
- Jun 7, 2021
AceShowbiz - Ryan Reynolds was inspired by his three young daughters to speak openly about his struggle with anxiety.
The "Deadpool" star recently took to Instagram to mark the end of Mental Health Awareness month in May, revealing he has battled the mental health condition his whole life.
"We don't talk enough about mental health and don't do enough to de-stigmatize talking about it," he wrote. "But, as with this post, better late than never, I hope..."
Now Ryan has revealed he wanted to go public with the news to set a good example to his children with wife Blake Lively - 6-year-old James, 4-year-old Inez, and 19-month-old Betty.
"Part of it is that I have three daughters at home and part of my job as a parent is to model behaviors and model what it's like to be sad and model what it's like to be anxious, or angry. That there's space for all these things," he explained.
"The home that I grew in, that wasn't modeled for me really. And that's not to say that my parents were neglectful, but they come from a different generation."
Ryan is now determined to keep the discussion going to help others feel confident talking about mental health issues.
"Part of that is to de-stigmatize things and create a conversation around [mental health]," he said.
"I know that when I felt at the absolute bottom it's usually been because I felt like I was alone in something I was feeling. So I think when people talk about it, I don't necessarily dwell on it or lament on it, but I think it's important to talk about it. And when you talk about it, it kind of sets other people free."
He added to Entertainment Tonight, "Other people feel like, 'Oh, he's feeling that and so am I.' And even though we might be in two completely different fields or we might have two completely different lives, it connects us in a way. A lot of it is just wanting to model certain things for my own kids and model things for anyone who might need to hear it."
