Alison Brie has a charmed life with the hit show Glow on Netflix and a thriving marriage with Dave Franco.
But the 37-year-old beauty told Women’s Health she battles with depression.
‘When I’ve been in a really serious depression, I’ll drag myself to a yoga class – even if I don’t want to be around people – tears streaming down my face,’ said the star.
Not all easy: Alison Brie has a charmed life with the hit show Glow on Netflix and a thriving marriage with Dave Franco. But the 37-year-old beauty told Women’s Health she battles with depression
She added, ‘But, get in class, get out of your head, get blood flowing. It ends up helping eventually.’
The movie star said that mental illness runs in her family; her maternal grandma had schizophrenia and went through periods of being homeless.
Alison said: ‘The rest of my family then dealt with the trick-down effects of trauma. And that meant depression more than anything.’
Also in the interview she said she has body issues. Her character and the physical element of the role for Glow ‘helped with my relationship to my body times a million.’
Alison added: ‘Before, I always felt at odds with it[her body]; I wanted it to be something it wasn’t. But I didn’t have the tools to do that in a healthy way.’
How she copes: ‘When I’ve been in a really serious depression, I’ll drag myself to a yoga class – even if I don’t want to be around people – tears streaming down my face,’ said the star
Stunner: The actress, 37, also noted how working out also helps combat depression and maintain mental wellness
Both sides of her genealogy dealt it, and Alison said that depression ‘comes out of nowhere and really blindsides me.’
The show is about the 1980s TV show Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling; Glow, which debuted in 2017, is in its fourth and final season.
She said prior to the show, she used to just focus on cardio.
Nine years ago she started working with her trainer, Jason Walsh, CEO of Rise Nation: ‘I thought, I’m in my late 20s, I should probably start doing some strength training.’
Things changed when she landed the role of Ruth and began preparations for the role.
Her background: The movie star said that mental illness runs in her family; her maternal grandma had schizophrenia and went through periods of being homeless.
She works out six days a week, which includes three days with Jason and three days of activities she does herself, which could be using her Peleton bike or going on a hike.
Alison said: ‘It took the motivation out of being skinny for Hollywood standards and made it about being strong for lifting other women, literally. There was a real goal.’
The writer mentioned how her body seemed to shrink as she got stronger, which Alison said: ‘I’m glad you said that, actually, because being small was a side effect of being super fit.’
Adding: ‘I like to lead the charge against people thinking that strength training makes women bulky. Jason uses my body as an example at the gym, because I can lift more than a lot of people. You can pack a lot of muscle into a lean little body.’
Movie star: The show is about the 1980s TV show Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling; Glow, which debuted in 2017, is in its fourth and final season
She said she still deals with body dysmorphia but in the past, it had a hold on her: ‘I go back to red carpet photos where I thought I looked so horrible, and there are some where I now think, God, I looked beautiful.’
Adding: ‘And I’ll remember: An hour before that I was in tears; I thought I was so disgusting. I think it’s something I’ll probably be working through my whole life. And depression too.’
Alison also talked about her diet, which includes things like oatmeal with protein powder for breakfast, post workout shakes and tuna salads.
She doesn’t eat carbohydrates after 4 pm and removes sugar when she is close to shooting a season of the show.
When she is not shooting, she eats vegan or vegetarian.
Stunning: Here she is seen in January 2019 at the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards