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Wes Bentley, 44, in one of his recent interactions with celebrity gossip and entertainment news site Page Six, opened up about his struggles with drug addiction. The Yellowstone star credited Iron Man fame Robert Downey Jr. for being an inspiration for him in overcoming heroin addiction.
Bentley commended Downey for being brave and open about his tussle with drug addiction in the past, which ultimately "saved" him. Bentley was attending the Yellowstone season 5 premiere in New York On Thursday, November 3, where he told Page Six:
"I was in the deepest throes of my addiction and in the worst place and at death's door, I guess, or at risk of it and I saw him (Robert Downey Jr.) be so bold and brave and open and it saved me."
Reportedly, Wes Bentley became addicted to heroin in 2002 and struggled for years. In 2008, the American Beauty star was arrested and pleaded guilty to heroin possession, after which he was ordered to undergo a 12-step program to go sober, but he failed.
However, it was in 2009 when he finally got the motivation to go sober and has remained so to date.
Wes Bentley credited Robert Downey Jr. and an unnamed man who motivated him to go sober
Bentley credited Robert Downey Jr., who has been sober since 2003, for motivating him, and also spoke about the reasons behind his drug addiction. The Hunger Games actor opened up on the fame he got after his role in the 1999 movie American Beauty and how it brought some lifestyle changes. He elaborated:
"I never had money before. So there was a lot of combination of things I wasn't prepared for. I also knew as an actor that I wasn't going to be really ready to do good roles until in my 30s and 40s. So I didn't really want it to happen like that too early. I tried to go with it and hang with it, but I wasn't ready."
After grappling with addiction for six years, the year 2008 turned out to be crucial for the actor as he was arrested for heroin possession, for which he was later found guilty. Wes Bentley, during his chat with Page Six, mentioned how another ex-addict unknowingly motivated him to return to sobriety:
"I met a guy who had been sober and didn't know, that I was struggling. He just talked about what a beautiful life he had now, and how he's looking out the window at the trees, and I missed that. And I thought I want that back. So that's how that happened. So I just went to meetings and the 12-step meetings really helped me a lot. I already had belief in God, so that kind of helps -- the higher power thing."
Wes Bentley went drug-free in 2009 and has been actively working, featuring in several productions like Interstellar, Pete's Dragon, American Horror Story (multiple roles), and many more.
His next project is season 5 of Yellowstone, where he has been portraying one of the main characters, Jamie Dutton, since the show's first iteration.
The fifth season of Yellowstone is set to come out on November 13.
