"I’ve struggled with this stuff most of my life"- When Zachary Levi opened up about his mental health struggles

Zachary Levi, the popular actor known for his role in Chuck, discussed his mental health issues in an interview with veteran host Elizabeth Vargas' Heart of the Matter podcast in 2022. In the interview, Levi revealed that he has battled with anxiety and depression.

He mentioned:

“I’ve struggled with this stuff most of my life. I didn’t realize that I was struggling with these things until I was 37, about five years ago, and I had a complete mental breakdown."

Zachary Levi debuted on television with a show named Whatever on Showtime in 2000. He then starred in the ABC sitcom Less Than Perfect and the FX film Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie. Levi's big breakthrough came in the 2007–2012 NBC series Chuck.

He then voiced Flynn Rider in Disney's Tangled (2010) and joined Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009).

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Zachary Levi: Battling with anxiety and depression

Levi mentioned how his mental health had been going down over the years. He battled relentless negative thoughts and extreme anxiety, the roots of which were in his childhood:

"The majority of my life, I grew up in a household where my stepfather was a perfectionist on the highest of levels, his bar was so high, was impossible to reach, and then a mother who was a borderline personality. So, she didn’t have an impossibly high bar. She had an impossible target because it kept moving."

Further, he mentioned that while growing up he tried finding escape in various things:

“I was running to lots of other things, whether it was s*x or drugs or booze or things to distract me from, to numb myself from the pain that I was running away from most of my life."

He continued:

“The irony is that booze can give you this temporary relief, but then the next day amplifies that anxiety tenfold. So, then you’re running back to get more and it just becomes this vicious cycle.”

Sometimes the weight of these emotions would seem intolerable, impacting his personal life as well as his employment.

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The impact of mental health on his career

The pressure to succeed in a career while dealing with emotional turmoil left Levi exhausted and disconnected.

He explained that his struggles sometimes affected his performance and relationships with coworkers. These disconnects were difficult, but they made him rethink his priorities. Levi mentioned:

“My career was in a place where I felt like even though I had accomplished so many things up to that point, I was still, and to be honest, even now, I still feel this way. I feel like I’m a bit on the outside looking in. I’ve never really felt like I am a part of whatever the cool kid group is.”

He continued:

“I think that that carried with me into my career in Hollywood, and it gets reaffirmed to you in the lies that you tell yourself when you are not getting certain jobs, you’re not being hired to go do that movie or that show with this level of director or producer or actor or whatever it is.”

Levi stressed that fame and success could not satisfy his emotional needs. He only saw personal and professional improvements after taking a break to focus on his mental health.

Levi even suggested a few ways that helped him get out of a state of anxiety and depression:

“Prayer and meditation are very important, which are also somewhat synonymous, I think, in some ways. Sometimes my prayer is meditation. Sometimes I’m just there and allowing God to take over what that time is. I’m not really saying anything as much as I’m just spending time. I think one of the most important things, at least for me, is taking my thoughts captive."

Levi gained mental health control through therapy by learning coping skills. He acknowledged that healing takes time but is possible with guidance and support. Therapy allowed him to reflect on his life, face his long-buried emotional pain, and begin healing.