Zachary Levi Opens Up About Battling Suicidal Thoughts & Depression

“Anybody looking from the outside might think, ‘This guy’s stoked. He’s been a lead on a TV show, he’s done Broadway and this and that—he’s checked off a lot of boxes,’” Zachary shared with People.

Zachary went on to share how his struggles started at a young age, recalling how he was abused by his mother and “relentlessly” bullied for being the “nerdy kid.”

When he was older, Zachary said he turned to sex, drugs, and alcohol to help cope – which eventually led to a three-week stint of “intensive, life-changing” therapy at the age of 37.

“The truth is, we’re all messed up,” Zachary said. “But it doesn’t mean that we’re broken beyond repair. It just means that we all have healing that we need to do.”

Zachary said that still to this day that he is a work in progress, but by sharing his vulnerable side, he feels a lot more hopeful now.

“I found the other side, and it’s vibrant and amazing,” Zachary explained. “It doesn’t mean that I don’t have a lot more healing to do in my life. It doesn’t mean that I won’t still struggle with moments and things that require more therapy. But I know life is far more worth living and fighting for now that I’ve fought through that darkness.”

Zachary Levi‘s memoir Radical Love: Learning to Accept Yourself and Others is out now.