"Stranger Things" star David Harbour says earlier in his career he was scared to open up about his bipolar disorder as he did not want to lose work because of the mental illness.
The 43-year-old star was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his 20s but did not speak publicly about his struggles until he found success as Jim Hopper in "Stranger Things".
''As an actor, you're worried about getting hired, but now I'm at a place where I can talk about this. Also, I'm in my forties, I may as well be myself, whether I get work or not," Harbour told GQ magazine.
The actor hopes that by speaking candidly about his condition, he can offer support and inspiration to others going through the same struggles.
''My biggest reason for getting into it was I imagined a mother of a kid who is taken out of school, diagnosed childhood bipolar. The mother feels it's a death sentence, that their kid will never be part of society, that they'll always be on the couch eating pizza and, at times in my life, I was that guy.
''So I want to say if you admire this profession, which you don't have to, then I'm no different to that child. That's what I want to share with those people because they suffer like my parents suffered," he said.
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