Zazie Beetz has had some amazing wins in the past few years. She appeared in the Oscar nominated Joker, had a standout role as Domino in Deadpool 2, and is the sole female lead on the FX show Atlanta. Still, the highly talented young actress struggles with anxiety, which she has been very open about.
Beetz is aware that she has a life that most people only dream of. During an interview with GQ, she admitted that, circumstantially, everything in her life was good. “I’m in a healthy relationship, I have a loving family, I’m doing well in my career,” she told the outlet. And yet there was still a feeling of an internal struggle. Though she’s achieved so much at only 29 years old, Beetz struggles to feel like she’s where she deserves to be. “I sometimes worry about what did I do to deserve this or earn this,” she said.
Zazie Beetz Cries At Work
In 2018, Beetz penned an essay for Glamour about how she deals with anxiety. The Atlanta actress admitted, “Despite my career, so much of my life has been dictated by what I’m afraid of: fear that I am not talented. Fear that people will finally realize that I am a boring individual who doesn’t have many ambitions beyond starting a family ‘at a good time’ in life.” She revealed in the essay that there’s times that she’s had to take a break on set to “find a corner to cry in for five minutes” when she’s feeling overwhelmed.
It’s tempting to give in to the fear, Beetz confesses. There’s always the urge to just walk away because “this is too much.” But walking away would mean “giving in to anxiety, fear, and the myth that those things have any right to dictate my life.” Instead, the star gives herself a pep talk, telling herself, “You worked hard to get here.” Running away isn’t an option.
A combination of techniques helps Beetz to deal with her anxiety when it gets to be too much. She has a strong support system in her boyfriend, David Rysdahl. She also takes solace in the little things. “I remind myself that, though there was a time anxiety might have stopped me, today is not that day…I recognize the achievement: Maybe I didn’t clean my apartment, but I made it through work. And that’s enough.”
In addition to opening up about her anxiety and the selfcare she does to manage it, Beetz has also recently spoken about her special relationship with her natural hair. She’s actually turned down roles in the past that required her to straighten or chemically alter her hair. Her gorgeous hair makes the actress stand out even more, so it’d be a shame if she ever changed it.