In the list of films that could help quell anxiety, It and It: Chapter Two are probably near the absolute bottom. Now imagine what it's like to have anxiety and also work on those films. That's the predicament Bill Hader found himself in over the course of filming It: Chapter Two, but as it turns out, he has quite the background in pushing through and addressing his anxiety. In a very candid interview on The Daily Show, Hader opened up about mental health and how he manages his anxiety.
When host Trevor Noah asked Hader about his work with the Child Mind Institute, an organization helping children with anxiety, he opened up about his own past struggles. "I was on Saturday Night Live—that's like the worst show to be on if you have anxiety," he said through a laugh. When asked to record a video for the organization, he said that one of the first things that came to mind is that anxiety never really goes away. You just learn to manage it.
Even in his heyday on the iconic sketch show, Hader remembers not wanting to go on the SNL stage, noting that his anxiety would get so bad that it would manifest in what he thought was the flu.
Before the conversation got too deep, Noah connected Hader's anxiety back to It and how the film is a bit of a representation of anxiety disorder, in its own way. Then Noah noted that Hader's work with Child Mind Institute helps kids and a kid helped Hader get the job on It 2. And that is what you call a bit of free televised therapy.
It: Chapter Two is out in theaters this weekend, your anxiety is nothing to be ashamed about, but also if you're feeling worked up today, Pennywise can wait.
