When Jonah Hill opened up about troubles starting BJJ due to teenage struggles

Jonah Hill is one of many Hollywood stars who've taken up the grappling martial art of BJJ (Brazilian jiu-jitsu). The actor/filmmaker started training in BJJ in late 2018. It's helped him deal with the trauma he faced from being bullied as a teenager.

Hill gained renown for his movie, 'War Dogs,' in 2016. He later adopted a healthy diet and physical training to improve his health. The 39-year-old American eventually commenced his BJJ journey at Clockwork BJJ in New York and trained four-five times a week.

Speaking to People in early 2019, Jonah Hill explained that he was initially put off by the idea of training BJJ, as his high school bullies used to train BJJ and beat him and others up. Hill addressed this in an Instagram post.

While he later deleted his Instagram account to better his mental health, his post went viral. Hill wrote:

“In high school the dudes who did jiu-jitsu used to beat the s**t out of us at parties, so it turned me off to it as an idea growing up. But quietly, I always thought it was a beautiful art form. At 35, I try and get over the stuff that made me feel weak and insecure as a teenager. It’s just wasted time and lessons you’ll never learn. Trying to let go of that.” (h/t Aces jiu-jitsu Club via People)

Hill added:

"Nothing more humbling than getting your a** kicked by a 12 year old your first week. Got my first stripe today. I know it sounds corny but it’s pretty dope to jump in and do stuff you’d never think you’d be able to do. Much respect to Sensei Josh and @clockworkbjj and Anthony for getting me into it."

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Jonah Hill's decision to take up BJJ was similar to his long-running battle with body image issues

As reported by People, Jonah Hill took to BJJ and confronted his past, healing from the trauma inflicted by the high school bullies who utilized BJJ to hurt him. Similarly, the Hollywood star and BJJ enthusiast indicated that he's long been combating body image issues.

Jonah Hill, who's battled anxiety issues for several years, opined that every individual has a version of themselves that they're ashamed of and want to conceal from the world. Citing his own example, the actor highlighted that he disliked his teenage self as he was overweight and bullied for his appearance:

“Even if you get success or you grow up or you become good looking or whatever, the things that you think will fix the thing, you kind of carry some part of that with you… I’m under construction like we all are.”