(Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Brett Goldstein has opened up about his mental health journey and the power of gratitude.
The actor and comedian, best known for his role as Roy Kent in the hit Apple TV series Ted Lasso, revealed that he struggled with depression before finding success on the show, and credited a gratitude journal with helping him change his outlook on life.
Goldstein, 46, shared: "I was depressed.
"Every day she (the therapist) made me write a list of 10 things that happened that day that I was grateful for."
He explained that, at first, finding things to be thankful for was difficult.
He said: "In the beginning, when you’re so, so depressed, it’s like, ‘Nothing’.
"But you have to put 10 in.
"‘The sun was up.’ That’s one.
"You start so small.
"But by day 30 of doing that, you’ve started training your brain to look for the positive, and I could write a list of 100 things.
"I’m the luckiest guy in the world!
"Everything’s f** amazing!"
Goldstein said he felt a real change in how he viewed life after just a few weeks of journaling.
He said: "It really had changed me, built new synapses, whatever it is.
"You can look for the good.
"It’s a f** skill – or, something you have to work at.
"I don’t always achieve it.
"I still have darker days.
"But gratitude helps."
Brett Goldstein reflects on expectations associated with masculinity
He also reflected on masculinity and emotional expression, admitting he had internalised certain beliefs about how men should behave.
He said: "I definitely grew up with the feelings of, ‘Men aren’t supposed to show emotions’.
"But then I got older, and my experience with women was whenever I was accidentally vulnerable it went very well.
"I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I’ve been learning the wrong lessons.’"
Goldstein spoke about a trainer he worked with in New York.
He said: "My trainer in New York, he was a professional bodybuilder and there are pictures of him on the wall in amazing shape.
"He said, ‘Men love it.
"Women hate it.’
"There are all these things where I think most people don’t know what they’re doing, they have been behaving how they think they’re meant to behave."
In addition to his role in Ted Lasso, Goldstein has appeared in the rom-com Office Romance alongside Jennifer Lopez, the 2024 film All Of You, and in the series Shrinking.
He has also picked up two Emmy Awards for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy in 2021 and 2022 for Ted Lasso.
The full interview can be found in the September issue of Men’s Health UK.
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