Letitia Wright put the spotlight on mental health during Sunday’s BAFTA ceremony.
Wright, who beat out the likes of Cynthia Ervio and Lakeith Stanfield for the Rising Star Award, spoke about overcoming the weight of depression.
“A few years ago I saw myself in a deep state of depression, and I literally wanted to quit acting,” she said. “The only thing that pretty much pulled me out of that was God, my belief, my faith, my family, and an email from BAFTA saying that they wanted me to be a part of the BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, and I was like, ‘Let me try again.'”
She said that overcoming depression and regaining her career “wasn’t an overnight thing.” “This wasn’t a click of a finger success, and it’s still a work in progress,” she said. “I’m still a work in progress.” But she encouraged everyone watching who struggles with their mental health to keep pushing.
“I want to encourage you, anybody that’s going through a hard time or something in their soul, that they’ve lost their light, I want to encourage you that God made you and you’re important,” she said. “There might be some of you here that’s going through depression, that’s going through a bad time, and you’re putting on a smile on your face, and nobody can see that, and God knows it, and I just want to encourage you and I just want to say that God loves you, and just let your light shine.”
Wright will be seen next in the upcoming romantic sci-fi drama Hold Back the Stars, starring opposite John Boyega. She is also reportedly starring in Donald Glover and Rihanna’s forthcoming secretive film, Guava Island, but in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she denied having any knowledge of the film.
Watch her acceptance speech below:
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‘Hold Back The Stars’: John Boyega And Letitia Wright To Star In Sci-Fi Love Story Based On Novel
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Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
