Simon Pegg has talked about his struggles with depression and alcoholism, something that he has to deal with even while filming on major franchises like Star Trek.
From the outside, the life of a big name Hollywood actor like Simon Pegg might seem glamorous and a very enviable existence, but it’s not necessarily the case. Pegg, who has starred in some huge franchises like Star Trek and Mission Impossible, has struggled with depression and alcoholism.
Speaking to The Guardian for a profile on the actor, Pegg revealed that he was battling these demons even at the height of his career: “I would feel like – I’m in a film with Tom Cruise, I’ve got the part of Scotty in Star Trek. This should be making me feel happy. But it wasn’t.”
Pegg says that he has been self-medicating with alcohol since he was 18 and has hidden his problem from his closet friends: “One thing [addiction] does is make you clever at not giving anything away. People think junkies and alcoholics are slovenly, unmotivated people. They’re not – they are incredibly organized. They can nip out for a quick shot of whiskey and you wouldn’t know they have gone. It’s as if … you are micro-managed by it. But eventually, the signs are too obvious. You have taken the dog for one too many walks.”
The birth of his daughter was a real help to him and he has since been to rehab and entered Alcoholics Anonymous. He also admitted playing the heavy drinker Gary King in The World’s End allowed him to reveal what his life had been like for years:
“I felt like I was kind of telling people with that movie. Because that’s what addiction is like. It’s like you have grown a second head and all it wants to do is destroy itself, and it puts that ahead of everything else – your marriage, children, your job.”
Pegg is happy to share his story now and hopes that it might help others with their issues: “I’m not ashamed of what happened. And I think if anyone finds any relationship to it, then it might motivate them to get well. But I am not proud of it either – I don’t think it’s cool like I was Mr. Rock’n’roll, blackout, and all that shit. It wasn’t, it was just terrible.”
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