Jonah Hill Gets Candid About Body Dysmorphia in New Netflix Doc

In an open letter published via Deadline in August, Hill said, "Through this journey of self-discovery within the film, I have come to the understanding that I have spent nearly 20 years experiencing anxiety attacks, which are exacerbated by media appearances and public facing events. If I made myself sicker by going out there and promoting it, I wouldn’t be acting true to myself or to the film."

Related | Jonah Hill Will Stop Promoting Future Films for His Mental Health

In the film, Hill takes the unorthodox route and places his therapist, Phil Stutz, in front of the camera. Unlike their normal sessions, Hill is in the driver's seat as he digs deep into Stutz's methodologies. Together, the two discover that they experienced similar trauma that changed the trajectory of their lives.

The Superbad actor first approached Stutz "out of desperation to get happier," and the two worked together to tackle Hill's anxiety brought on by public-facing events that are necessary for his acting career. "Having grown up overweight was something — that sounds like not a big deal, or like, 'Poor you' or whatever — but for me, personally, it intensely fucked me up."

Hill eventually comes face to face with his younger self in the form of a cardboard cutout, saying, "Inherently, at my core, I'm still this unlovable person. The work is inching towards not only accepting [that] it's great to be this person, but that's still very hard."

The film, while experimental and unorthodox for its concept and minimalism (Stutz and Hill are the only two characters), provides transparency with the therapeutic process and breaks down the societal taboos of men seeking help for their issues.

Below, watch the trailer for Stutz, which premieres on Netflix today.

Photo courtesy of Virisa Yong/BFA