John Goodman candidly admitted he had ‘practically had a nervous breakdown’ as he discussed his fears and recent career problems.
The Big Lebowski star, 71 – who recently showed off his slimmed-down figure during an outing in New York – opened up about the topic during an appearance on the SmartLess podcast earlier this month, on June 3.
Joining hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, the actor explained that he’s focusing on slowing down when it comes to his career – rather than working too much to push aside his worries and fears.
“I overcompensated by working way too hard,” Goodman said. ‘I’ve come out of that a bit in the past year. And there is so much to learn.
‘It’s very different now. I feel like I’m still learning. The last few years have been weird for me because I’ve tried to be good, but it doesn’t work that way.”
John Goodman, 71, candidly admitted he had ‘practically had a nervous breakdown’ as he spoke about anxieties and recent career problems; seen in June 2023 in Monaco
“You know, it’s fun to plan things way too much, and at the root of that was the fear of losing confidence in myself,” he further said during the episode.
On how he “managed” to overcome the difficulties in his life, the star said he “practically had a nervous breakdown.”
‘Everything went badly. It just disappeared from me when I went to the therapist one day. And the rest of the day was horrible. Nothing worked. You have to be relaxed when you do things. And open up and listen.”
John added, “You have to be willing to listen to yourself. You have to be relaxed. For me that was the key. I already know all this, and that’s something I didn’t trust myself to do.’
The Emmy winner currently stars in the ABC sitcom The Conners and HB Max’s The Righteous Gemstones.
‘Don’t know. I’ve been doing the same two roles for the last four or five years, and I haven’t really had a chance to do anything else.”
Host Sean Hayes praised Goodman for being open and offering “helpful” advice, saying it’s “silly that we all need to be reminded that everyone is human.”
In 2007, John got sober and explained that his journey has helped him be more open about personal struggles.
“I overcompensated by working way too hard,” Goodman said. ‘I’ve come out of that a bit in the past year. And there is so much to learn’; seen in 2018 in NYC
The Emmy winner currently stars in the ABC sitcom The Conners (seen above) and HB Max’s The Righteous Gemstones
“It’s kind of to help myself and maybe help someone else. I’ve been clean for about 16 years. Over the last sixteen years I’ve had to grow a lot towards my normal age, and it’s been a lot, but I’m glad I did it.’
Goodman — who had previously opened up about his 200-pound weight loss — commented on his road to sobriety during a previous interview with The guard. “It became too much.”
‘It had been an illness for thirty years that took its toll on everyone around me, and it had gotten to the point where it became more and more debilitating every time I did it. It was life or death. It was time to stop,” John explained.
And while you’re talking ABC news in 2016, the 10 Cloverfield Lane actor discussed his weight loss journey after weighing 400 pounds at one point.
‘I just stopped eating all the time. I had a handful of food and it went to my mouth. I was just eating all the time. I was just eating alcoholic,” the star said.
“I used to take three months off, lose 60 or 70 pounds, then reward myself with a six-pack of weed or whatever and just go back to my old habits.”
John continued: ‘This time I wanted to take it slow, move, exercise. I’m getting to an age where I can no longer afford to sit still. And it gives me the energy to work, because work is very exhausting.’
He later reflected, “I think you’re trying to fill a hole that can’t be filled unless it’s filled with goodness, some kind of spirituality, not to mention religion.”
“But just a belief in something higher than yourself, a purpose,” the Roseanne actor added.
‘I just kept stopping eating. I had a handful of food and it went to my mouth. I was just eating all the time. I was just eating alcoholic,” the star said; seen in 2009 in Berlin
He later reflected: ‘I think you are trying to fill a hole that cannot be filled unless it is filled with goodness, a kind of spirituality, not to mention religion’; seen in 2021 in LA
‘But instead of filling it with booze, cocaine or food, just acknowledge that it’s there. You can’t fill it. And you continue with it.’
In 2015, John’s health coach opened up to the New York Post to reveal how the actor lost 50 kilos at the time.
“This didn’t happen overnight – it’s been an ongoing process,” said Mackie Shilstone, adding that Goodman followed a “Mediterranean” diet that focused on foods such as fish, olive oil, nuts, fruits and vegetables.
The Golden Globe winner also worked out six days a week, making sure he took about 10,000 to 12,000 steps every day. “There has to be strategic planning. This time he really wanted to do it.”