Helen Hunt felt years of ‘misery and shame' over Hollywood beauty standards
After years in the spotlight, Helen Hunt has learned to let go of the beauty standards that often flood Hollywood.
During an interview with The Flow Space, the 61-year-old actress opened up about the 'misery and shame' she often felt about her physical appearance early in her career and explained how she chose to move beyond expectations.
'It felt impossible not to internalise the way you're supposed to look,' Hunt said. 'And [there was] a certain amount of misery and shame around not looking exactly that way.'
Hunt added, 'I realised, 'This could quietly ruin your whole life.' I made a decision: I'm not playing. Not gonna [let it] take up a lot of space in my mind.'
Hunt said her approach has been influenced by The Only Diet There Is, a book written by the spiritual leader Sondra Ray.
'What I took from it is, eat what you want and love every bite, period,' she said.
Hunt isn't the only '90s star who has openly spoken about the struggles she faced as a young star.
Earlier this year, Christina Applegate got candid about how the pressures of being portrayed as beautiful and sexy on Married … with Children led to an eating disorder.
'Playing that character kind of did things to me in my psyche that were no bueno – like anorexia,' the 53-year-old explained on her MeSsy podcast while speaking to guest and former Married … with Children co-star Katey Sagal.
'Yeah, a pretty bad eating disorder started when I was doing that show that lasted for a really long time,' she said.
Applegate said she never told anyone about the disorder at the time and was 'very, very private about it.'
'I would hide in bathrooms to eat, because I had so much shame around eating that I would hide on the aeroplanes, like when we went to London,' she said. 'I remember hiding in there to eat like one shrimp, 'cause I was so afraid if anyone saw me eat that they'd think I was going to try to get fat or something. I don't know. I was in such a dark space.'
Sagal, who played Applegate's on-screen mother on the show, which ran from 1987 until 1997, told her that she 'didn't know all that.'
Applegate answered, 'Yeah, I kept everything close to the chest. There's a lot of stuff that happened in the wings of my life that you guys didn't know about.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Scandal-plagued star looks unrecognisable in rare red carpet outing
Scandal-plagued actor Ezra Miller stepped out on a red carpet in Italy over the weekend, looking noticeably different after an extended period out of the public eye. Miller, 32, who uses they / them pronouns, wore a floor-length dress on the red carpet at the 2025 Filming Italy Sardegna Festival on Saturday. The actor wore black boots and had a watermelon hairclip in their tousled mane. Miller is making a tentative return to the movie business after a string of public scandals that ended with a series of legal issues back in 2022. Once a promising young actor known for starring roles in Justice League, We Need to Talk About Kevin and the Fantastic Beasts franchise, by 2022 Miller's career lay in tatters following arrests for everything from disorderly conduct to second degree assault to burglary. The same year, Miller was accused of grooming a teenager with 'cult-like' behaviour. The teen's parents claimed in a lawsuit that Miller had used 'violence, intimidation, threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions and drugs to hold sway over a young adolescent'. The teenager in question denied the accusations. Before that, Miller was recorded in 2020 allegedly choking a woman outside a bar in Iceland. Miller released a statement to Variety in August 2022 as the scandals against them mounted. 'Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment,' they said. 'I want to apologise to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behaviour. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.' As Miller makes tentative steps back into the public eye, the actor gave a rare interview on the ground at the Italian film festival over the weekend where they revealed what they've been up to since their scandal-plagued 2022. 'I've been writing a lot, because you can do that in solitude,' they said, 'which has been friendly to me'. Miller also said they have a Hollywood comeback planned: A film co-written with We Need To Talk About Kevin writer Lynne Ramsey. Calling Ramsey 'one of the greatest living filmmakers,' Miller said their collaboration 'will likely be the first thing I do' when returning to Hollywood.
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
MiniPod: Ep 6 Visiting a place for a first time English on Repeat (Easy)
This lesson is designed for easy-level learners. In this episode, we practise saying the following phrases: I haven't been here before. Do you need to buy a ticket? Can you help me? What time are you open 'til? Explore the entire series English on Repeat by clicking here to listen! This episode is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts . Credits: Host: Shannon Williams Written by: Sonia Saraullo Graphic Design: Yudai Urushima Sound Design: Mickey Grossman Music Composition: Adam Hulbert Produced by: Josipa Kosanovic Program Manager: Janine Googane
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
NEWS OF THE WEEK: Ariana Grande mourns death of grandma at 99
The Wicked star reshared a heartbreaking statement posted by her mother, Joan Grande, about Marjorie's death. "We are devastated to share that the beloved matriarch of our family has passed away," the statement signed by Grande and her family reads. "Marjorie (Nonna) Grande passed away peacefully in her home and was surrounded by family and loved ones for every moment of her last few weeks. We thank you for your love, support, and for respecting our privacy as we grieve and celebrate her beautiful, extraordinary life." Grande and her grandmother shared a close bond.
