John Goodman faced challenges with alcoholism and depression for a big part of his life.
He once shared that if he really wanted to, nothing could stop him from having a drink. He even described feeling like he was having a “walking heart attack.” However, he has managed to overcome these struggles and is here to share his story.
John Goodman, who is a famous actor, recently turned 70. Before he starred in movies like The Flinstones, Blues Brothers, Raising Arizona, and The Big Lebowski, he dealt with depression due to some tough personal experiences.
Throughout his time in the spotlight, Goodman has been honest about his battle with drinking. For more than 30 years, he fought this illness, which greatly impacted his life.
In a 2012 interview, he admitted that his drinking was definitely hurting his acting career. “There were many times I could have drowned,” Goodman said. “Not from an overdose, but from some risky situations, I guess.”
The celebrity quit drinking in 2007, but he found it tough to stay sober every single day. At one point, he started having “nightmares” about stumbling upon some bourbon and drinking it all.
He would think to himself, “Hey, I shouldn’t be doing that.” Then he’d say, “Oh, that’s fine! You do it all the time! You always sneak it!” Eventually, he would wake up and remind himself, “No, I don’t.” At first, those thoughts scared him, but now he just finds them amusing.
To avoid situations that might tempt him, Goodman said, “I want to keep going to places that make me feel good. Because if I really wanted to drink, I don’t think anything could stop me.”
He also confessed that his drinking was fueled by the constant fear of not having a job, which is something many actors face.
He said, “It’s just alcohol. I admit it, I’m an alcoholic. I would drink no matter what. Finding excuses is part of being an alcoholic. Life has been tough for me, especially with the stressful business I chose. I’ve made it worse by drinking and using drugs. Plus, there was always the chance of getting laid off.”
He thought about it and said, “I just ignored what I was doing to myself for some reason. Looking at me, it’s surprising that anyone would want to hire me. I looked like I was about to have a heart attack any minute.”
He came up with a different strategy to handle the situation.
Goodman loves acting and believes that being on stage is a completely different experience. He compared it to being “shot out of a cannon.”
“You get this rush of adrenaline, and when it’s all over, you end up feeling really tired by the end of the night,” the Roseanne actress said.
He emphasized that making a movie is a different experience altogether. It takes a lot of patience and long hours. He mentioned that filming a movie can feel like it just goes on forever.
The well-known stage actor also struggled with remembering his lines because of his condition.
“I had a problem with that,” he admitted. After drinking for a while, the lines just wouldn’t come to me. It felt like a snowball effect. It only made me doubt my ability to memorize lines. Plus, I was just wasting my energy and being harder on myself than I needed to be. I just need to stay calm, accept that there will be lines, and practice being patient.
He faced a constant battle, and on top of that, he dealt with a deep sadness every single day.
He described it as “a chemical thing, a brain thing… just feeling really unhappy with everything.” It felt like nothing was going well, and he didn’t want to do anything at all. He wished he could be doing something different, but nothing seemed interesting. It was all just overwhelming.
Goodman, who has been married to Anna Beth Hartzog since 1989, helped him get sober in 2007.
