The 37-year-old actor opened up about being comfortable in his own skin after 'years of public mockery about my body by press.'
Jonah Hill has learned to love himself. The 37-year-old actor took to Instagram on Friday to share that after years of being insecure about his body, he "finally" loves and accepts himself.
"I don’t think I ever took my shirt off in a pool until I was in my mid 30s even in front of family and friends," Hill wrote alongside a screenshot of a DailyMail article with photos of him surfing and shirtless. "Probably would have happened sooner if my childhood insecurities weren’t exacerbated by years of public mockery about my body by press and interviewers."
"So the idea that the media tries to play me by stalking me while surfing and printing photos like this and it can’t phase me anymore is dope," he admitted. "I’m 37 and finally love and accept myself. This isn’t a 'good for me' post . And it’s definitely not a 'feel bad for me post.' It’s for the kids who don’t take their shirt off at the pool."
He concluded by writing, "Have fun. You’re wonderful and awesome and perfect. All my love."
Hill received praise and admiration from his famous friends and followers like Johnny Knoxville, Kelly Slater, Andy Cohen and more. Hill's sister, Beanie Feldstein, lovingly wrote, "You’re the best in the world i love you."
Hill has previously spoken about his lifelong struggle with weight and self-acceptance. In a 2018 interview with Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show, he read the manifesto from a magazine he created called Inner Children, which focused on self-love.
"I became famous in my late teens and then spent most of my young adult life listening to people say that I was fat and gross and unattractive. And it's only in the last four years writing and directing my movie, Mid90s, that I've started to understand how much that hurt and got into my head," he read the passage at the start of the magazine. "I really believe everyone has a snapshot of themselves from a time when they were young that they're ashamed of. For me, it's that 14-year-old overweight and unattractive kid who felt ugly to the world, who listened to hip-hop and who wanted so badly to be accepted by this community of skaters."
While talking with DeGeneres he added, "It took a long time, honestly until right now, for me to come out as sort of the person, the artist, mind, what I represent, how I feel, how I'd like to be spoken to, how I speak to the world in a way that actually represents who I am as a person as opposed to me trying to be something else that I'm not."
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