When we lose public figures at a young age, it feels like we’ve lost ppl we’ve “known,” & bc they were “in our living rooms” we feel a tangible void.
High profile losses, too early, are unfortunately not new. From “common” physical ailments we’ve lost Stuart Scott from ESPN to cancer & James Gandolfini from the Sopranos to a heart attack. But other times, it’s too often been MH-related, as was allegedly the case w Robin Williams & now Verne Troyer aka “Mini-Me” (both of whom wore a permanent smile).
I remember when TV sitcoms/cheesy movies were all the craze. Thru them, we got to know: Dana Plato – Diff’rent Strokes, River Phoenix – Stand By Me, Sawyer Sweeten – Everybody Loves Raymond, & many others who we lost to MH conditions, overdose, &/or suicide. To those who care immensely abt the 30yr high in suicide rates we are currently experiencing, it begs the question, what can we learn abt the challenges of being a child actor, or a typecast one, & how some of their challenges are actually quite similar to what everyday ppl face.
You could ask – what could be wrong, they are/were getting paid very nicely to do something they loved? But isn’t that case in point: $ doesn’t buy happiness, when other factors are hurting us.
In the case of these actors, think abt what they go through: reaching the height of their goals at a young age & then not being able to get back there, being referred to only as their character in public everywhere they go (e.g., Mini-Me), being too young/naïve to understand fam/friends taking advantage of their wealth. Is there a wonder why we hear abt many losses due to MH from these figures?
What can we learn from these losses & how their issues actually mirror everyday ppl? Alliance members have mentioned – the loss of purpose when careers end (at any age), loss of identity (a “successful actor”), & loss of trust in how others treat you/your self-worth.
Let’s stop taking these folks down. Let’s also learn from what they go thru so that we can help others, not in the public, deal w some of these same issues/treatments that just present in different ways.
#RIPVerne #minime #gonetoosoon #childactors #samehere🤙 #onetribe
