Dublin-born Sherlock and Fleabag actor Andrew Scott talks to Prudence Wade about his latest role – helping to tackle the #male #mentalhealthcrisis with laughter and vulnerability
ANDREW Scott doesn’t always play the kindest characters on-screen – he’s known for villainous roles such as Moriarty in Sherlock and Max Denbigh in James Bond movie Spectre – but that really couldn’t be further from real life.
The actor is generous with his time and his thoughts, despite calling from Italy where he’s currently working 12 hour days shooting a new project. Scott is talking about #male #mentalhealth, and on discovering 75 per cent of suicides in the UK are men, says: “It’s an astonishing fact to learn, and something I didn’t know.”
Scott (45) says he considers #mentalhealth similar to the weather. “The weather is a changeable thing,” he says.
“If you’re in the driving rain, there’s no point in screaming up at the sky saying, ‘Please stop raining, please stop raining’. The best thing you can do is just accept it’s raining, and know that it will stop.”
For the Dublin-born star, a huge factor in the #male #mentalhealthcrisis is society’s perceived expectations of #men, to be ‘manly’ and have a stiff upper lip.
“I think it’s to do with vulnerability,” he muses.
“Expressing vulnerability is something that’s considered in some way a ‘feminine’ trait – but I think vulnerability is a brilliant trait in a person.”
“There’s a real #stigma about how we approach #mentalillness,” Scott continues.
“Not one of us would say, ‘I’ve never been physically ill’ – and in exactly the same way, it seems preposterous to me that we would say we’ve never had any #mentalillness.
“I think we associate #mentalhealth with having to check into somewhere or having to take medication, or being diagnosed with something. But I think we have to understand it’s on a spectrum. The difference between where we land on that spectrum has to do with communication.”
Particularly as a result of the #pandemic and what we’ve all been through during recent times, Scott argues now is “a good time to start talking”, as most of us have experienced – to some extent – emotions we might “have never felt before”, including a “lack of control and fear”.
Scott likes to talk about #mentalhealth with “a certain degree of lightness”, he says.
“There’s a duality that exists… It sounds odd for me to say that, but as long as you can be light about your darkness, I think you’re [going to be] alright.”
Warming to his theme, Scott continues: “It’s why sometimes funerals can be more enjoyable than weddings, because at a wedding sometimes people have this dreaded feeling of, you have to be happy, and it’s so comparative.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
“We live in such an age of comparison with #socialmedia, and sometimes at a funeral – you don’t go up to somebody and go, ‘Oh my God, you look terrible’, if they’ve got mascara running down their face, because you’re not worrying.
“So people are going, ‘Here I am, I am a mess. It’s OK for me to cry’. And sometimes that’s when we feel incredibly bonded.”
Scott says laughter is key to maintaining his own #mentalhealth. “I try and laugh every day,” he says passionately.
“It’s such a human attribute – the animals, as much as I love them, they don’t laugh as much as we do. Sometimes I think we can measure someone’s humanity almost by how much they laugh every day and how much they’re able to appreciate laughing.
“[Sometimes you have to say] this is all ridiculous, this doesn’t end well for any of us – we’re all going to die. So in a way, you’ve got to laugh as much as you can – that’s my attitude certainly, as I move through life.”
Scott says exercise is also central to his #mental wellbeing (“without a shadow of a doubt”). Despite a gruelling schedule filming in Italy when all he might want to do is sit down at the end of a long day and eat pasta, he says: “I genuinely believe it’s an essential thing. With exercise, people think, ‘Oh my God, I have to be really fit or join a gym’, but there’s nothing I like more than going for a walk with somebody.”
Walks might feel “very 2020”, but “there’s something very beautiful about going for a walk with someone, because you can talk about things but you’re not facing each other,” says Scott. That’s why he supported the HUMEN charity’s Rise Against #Suicide Sunrise Walk on Sunday, which aims to ‘inspire more men to get active and talk’.
There’s another reason Scott likes a simple walk. “I love a non-event,” he says. “I like the day after a wedding or getting accidentally drunk on a Tuesday afternoon with your friends.
“Sometimes you can have really meaningful conversations just going for a walk – or hysterical conversations. Life happens in the in-between, because there’s no pressure.”
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
