This Country star Paul Chahidi has drawn attention to the mental health struggles faced by actors across the industry, with many feeling too ashamed to speak out. The actor, best known for playing Reverend Francis Seaton in the BBC sitcom, warned that job uncertainty leaves many in the arts in a 'vulnerable state' and admitted he himself fears he may 'never work again as an actor'.
In March, the Actors' Trust published a study which found that 77 per cent of actors reported feeling lonely in the last year, while 27 per cent have had thoughts that they would be better off dead or of self-harm – almost four times the national average. Over three-quarters of actors have experienced a mental health problem in the last three years, compared to 20 per cent of UK adults.
Chahidi, an ambassador for the charity, said the high unemployment rate in the industry is partly to blame, but it is compounded by the isolation of virtual auditions. 'These auditions used to be in person until Covid came along and now they're all pretty much virtual,' he told The Independent. 'This adds to the sense of isolation, and added to that is that you often don't get an answer back – you often will not hear if it's a No. The first time you'll hear anything about it quite often can be just reading about who's been cast and you'll be left in limbo.'
Chahidi described the emotional toll of auditioning: 'That leaves you in a very vulnerable state. It's this strange dichotomy – you have to make yourself vulnerable and emotionally available to explore a character when you're auditioning. You have to do that over and over again and you'd be lucky if you get one in 10 of the jobs you go up for. As soon as you finish, you have to go to the opposite extreme or not allowing yourself to care too much and put on an invisible suit of armour. That is not a healthy way to exit. Actors have to be resilient but it comes at a huge cost.'
Despite recent roles in The Night Manager, Wicked Little Letters, Ludwig and Good Omens, Chahidi admitted he can have 'big gaps' in his CV. 'What you have to do mentally to yourself – being vulnerable and then going to the other extreme of being invulnerable – that never goes away. It doesn't matter whether you're at the beginning, middle or really far on in your career, you'll have mental health crises. You could never work again as an actor. I've seen actors fall off the edge financially and mentally.'
Chahidi urged struggling actors to seek help from the Actors' Trust, which is launching a new mental health service offering free therapy sessions. 'There's a feeling often that we will be judged really harshly if we complain – and it's seen as complaining rather than reaching out for help. We have to stamp out that stigma,' he said. He added that he has suffered from poor mental health at times as an actor, particularly during periods of unemployment, and wished such support had been available earlier in his career.
