While opening up about her past mental health struggles, Terminator star Linda Hamilton jokingly admits she was a “hot mess” for the first 40 years of her life.
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During an interview with PEOPLE, Hamilton spoke about her experience with depression and bipolar disorder. She pointed out her Terminator stardom often made people think she was “invincible” even in real life.
“Nobody ever thinks that I’m going to struggle,” Hamilton explained. “[They think] I’ll be fine – ‘It’s Linda Hamilton.'”
She then admitted that it took time to establish a solid mental footing. “I have found just true balance and steadiness in my day and in my life,” the Terminator star continued. “And I also can activate all of the safeguards that I learned from 20 years of therapy.”
“If I’m having a bad day, that doesn’t mean that my behavior has to be bad or that my actions [have to be],” she continued. “I’m experienced enough now to go, ‘Well, [doing] that might sound good right now, but really in an hour, are you going to want to have done that?'”
Hamilton previously reflected on struggling with bipolar disorder without realizing it. I would say [I had] 20 full years of symptoms,” she explained. “Not counting my childhood. From 20 to 40. I call them my lost years.”
As she shared more details about her intense mood swings, Hamilton said, “My first husband [actor Bruce Aboott] said, ‘You have the most incredible joy and the most incredible sorrow that goes with it.’ Without giving it a name, he had pretty much summed it up for me.”
The Terminator Star Had Some Words of Encouragement For Others Going Through Mental Health Struggles
Hamilton also had encouraging words for others who are going through mental health woes. “People just can’t give up on themselves,” she noted. “That’s the thing. It’s just keep looking until you find your way through it. I’m living proof that it can be done. And I was a hot mess for the first 40 years.”
She further pointed out, “I never think about myself. That was the first 40 years. And when I got the balance, I made a deal with myself that it would never be about me again. And it hardly ever is. It’s just not about me.”
The actress then stated she wants to pitch in and help others by making people laugh, making her home beautiful, and loving her dogs.
“It all makes me feel very happy,” she added.