Actor Hugh Sheridan has pulled back the curtain on the mental health episode that saw him admitted to Sydney’s Prince of Wales hopsital last month.
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In a candid interview with The Daily Telegraph, the 35-year-old recalled suffering from a terrifying “anxiety attack” prompted by an overloaded schedule and his shock axing from the production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The Packed To The Rafters star was slated to play the role of the lead genderqueer character, only for Sydney Festival producers to sensationally drop him following protests from trans advocates.
“Basically in the days leading up to it, I had performed a Christmas pageant in Adelaide, I had done a show for Soho House International, I had done appearances for the Qantas 100th birthday celebrations … then that night I had realised that something was going on with (Hedwig) and it all just hit me,” Hugh told the publication.
“The doctor said to me that sometimes the brain can just hit a switch like an eject button. I didn’t remember anything. My sister Zoe suffers from epilepsy and she says she experiences the same thing when she has a seizure.”
It was only then that Hugh realised he had been “suffering a little bit more” than he’d previously thought, and perhaps this was the “wake-up” call he needed to “focus on what was really going on.”
Despite going quiet on social media since the incident, the Gold Logie winner assured fans that he’s feeling much better. In fact, he’s currently rehearsing his one-man show, Hughman, which will debut at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in March 2021.
“This is my job and I believe that everything happens for a reason and whatever is happening in my life will only make me a stronger person,” he continued. “If anything this experience has made me realise what is really important.”
It’s been a tumultuous few months for Hugh, who was forced to say goodbye to his “best friend” Imelda when she passed away on November 24. Just a few days earlier, he had revealed he was attracted to both men and women in a candid first-person essay published in Stellar magazine.
“In many ways, I wish I didn’t have to write this, but I feel a responsibility to others who may come after me,” he shared in the piece.
“People will read this and say, ‘He’s not coming out. He’s bisexual. He’s asexual. Or non-binary. Or queer. Or fluid.’ There are all these words that didn’t exist when I was younger and maybe if they had, they would have helped.”
“But the fact that these labels keep popping up indicate there must be a lot more people out there who feel how I feel – like the words still don’t fit. Maybe this is also my way of letting people know that I’m still single, and everyone is on the smorgasbord.”
In a follow-up interview, Hugh said he was touched by how much support he had received since putting pen to paper.
“I’ve honestly been completely overwhelmed with how many people really related to what I was saying, especially about taking your time and not having to pick a label straight away,” he said, adding that his inbox had been flooded with direct messages on social media.
“I’m slowly responding, but some are very emotional, it’s quite a lot to take in so soon after opening up.”
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