Acting Your Heart & Soul Out: Actors and Mental Health Struggles to Deal with Pressure, Stigma, and Trauma with Actor Sean Hayden

In this episode, I have the great pleasure to speak with Actor and Podcast Host Sean Hayden about the many pressures of acting and being in show business and the importance of mental health, particularly in the case of the theater industry. Acting can be very tough and demanding starting from landing a role via auditions to dealing with constant rejection. Then there is also the pressure of performing well on stage by using one’s body and emotions as a tool, which can often be physically and emotionally draining. Sean experienced its toll first-hand and up close and personal during “Billy Elliot: The Musical” when he suffered his first-ever panic attack. In fact, he will be launching his highly anticipated podcast “Stage Combat: A Mental Health Story” on May 16 during Mental Health Awareness Month. In this scripted nonfiction podcast, scored and complete with sound effects just like old-fashioned radio shows, he will tell his story in a novel and groundbreaking format: as a True Crime Story followed by an interview with a mental health professional. Moreover, we talk about the potential dangers of “method acting” and the importance of having and ensuring a safe workplace in which mental health is regularly and openly talked about. It is also essential to overcome stigmas surrounding not only the acting profession but also men as they often struggle with mental health issues but lack the emotional support and resources; as a matter of fact, guys are often afraid of looking and reaching out for help because they do not wish to be perceived as weak and vulnerable by others.

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