It can be hard for an actor to feel validated when they don’t get roles.
Especially when you start off in this big TV show, and then after the show is done you don’t see work for a while.
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That can be stressful. It can be enough to make someone give up.
Zachary Levi was not only brilliant in ‘Shazam’, he’s been brilliant in most of his roles.
However, there was a time between Chuck and Shazam! where he was having a lot of trouble.
Not only with not finding work, but with his self-esteem as well.
Here’s how he tells it:
“This last year has been fascinating. The last few, actually.”
“Two years ago today I was moving to Toronto, for the 4th time 3 years, to begin working on [Shazam!], one of the single greatest gifts I’ve ever been handed. Ironically, just 4 months prior, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to live anymore. My goals, and visions, and hopes, and dreams, and therefore expectations for myself, have always been a lot.”
“When I surveyed my life a few years back, I genuinely felt like I was failing it,”
Zachary felt like he was a failure all around, not just in his career:
“Failing myself. Failing my family. Failing the world. I didn’t feel worthy of the love that was around me.”
“And, when presented with an opportunity to audition for Shazam! the first time, I turned down the opportunity as I ultimately didn’t feel worthy of such a role”
“I didn’t feel worthy of any of the things I had achieved up to that point. . Then came therapy. Then came the beginning of finally loving myself. And then came the miracle that was me stepping into this life-changing role.”
He took it and he nailed it. Good for you, Zachary!
