‘I was always terrified of the idea of ​​going crazy’

Many remember Mariel Hemingway for her portrayal of sweet teenager Tracy in manhattan of Woody Allena role that earned him a Oscar nomination at just sixteen years old and catapulted her to world fame. However, the life of granddaughter of the famous writer Ernest Hemingway It is far from being a bed of roses. What’s more, it has been marked by alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness and suicide in her family. Her grandfather took his own life in 1961, just a few months before she was born. Years later, in 1996, her sister, the supermodel and actress Margaux HemingwayI would follow in his footsteps. However, for the granddaughter of the Nobel Prize winner in Literature, her family is a source of pride and a source of inspiration.

Reconciled for many years now with the demons of her past, the actress has become a champion in the fight against the stigma that affects people with mental health problems through the Foundation that bears his name, his podcast Out Comes The Sun and the talks he gives around the world. Recently, in the El Beatriz Space from Madrid, where he offered a conference organized by Dr. María Díaz de la Cebosapresident of CIS University and the RFK Foundation (Robert Francis Kennedy) Human Rights Spain.

© Mauro Barreno Fernández

-In recent years, she has stood out for being one of the main defenders of mental health. Do you think she is talked about enough?

-Not enough, believe me. Arguably much more than in the past, but not enough.

-Why do you think people are starting to talk more now? Do you consider that today’s society has more fragile mental health than previous ones?

-We talk more because our young people are erasing shame, post by post, on social networks. On the other hand, I don’t think we are more fragile but we are more exposed to the world and perhaps more overwhelmed.

-Do you think everyone should go to therapy?

-Not necessarily. At least, not in the traditional sense. But I do believe that everyone needs some type of therapy: sun, good food, social relationships, physical exercise, hydration, respiratory work, sleep, rest, laughter. Also social interaction and connections with your church or social group. It’s all part of healthy therapy.

The actress has become a champion in the fight against mental health through the Foundation that bears her name

-Have you ever resorted to it?

-Yes of course. I have used different therapy modalities throughout my life.

-What would you say to those who are reluctant about them? When is it time to say ‘enough!’ and stop resisting getting help?

-I would tell them to question why they are reluctant to it. Let them analyze their life and see if what they have done for themselves works or has worked. I think the moment to seek help not only stares you in the face, it screams so loud that you have to hear it. How are your relationships going? How is your work going? How is your health? How is your life?

© Mauro Barreno Fernández

-Why do you think anxiety is still stigmatized and people have so many prejudices about asking for help in time?

– People, by nature, wait until the last moment to take care of their private needs. We wait for our partner to walk out the door before acknowledging that the relationship needs work. We wait to be called into our boss’s office to acknowledge that we are failing at work. We wait for the doctor to give us a scary prognosis before making health changes. It is the human condition. Our job in the world of mental wellness is to help change that.

-Returning to the topic of suicide. The rate is alarming, especially among adolescents. What is happening?

-There is so much suicide among young people and so much disconnection and emotional instability because phones and technology are taking over our lives. We have to reconnect with ourselves, with nature, which I think is what saved me.

“I don’t think we are more fragile, but I do think we are more exposed to the world and perhaps more overwhelmed”

-Does talking about mental health bring to light things that continue to hurt you about what you experienced with your loved ones?

-It is normal that we all have some type of trauma, that is why I emphasize that people tell their story. I tell mine and how I have faced it, And I tell it to show that it is something in the past. If my story helps someone, I am satisfied.

-When did you begin to notice that something was not going well in your family?

-Being a girl, before the age of eleven.

© Mauro Barreno Fernández

-Did you think it could affect you?

-I was always terrified by the idea of ​​ending up crazy and that having mental problems was my genetic inheritance. In fact, I wrote a book about it: Running away from madness. Talking about it made me more aware of where I come from and how my life choices have made me overcome those fears. I was afraid I would end up like my sister Margaux, depressed and in rehab.

-How did you manage to overcome those adversities in life in your family?

-I have taken complete control of my life. I exercise, I sleep well, I hydrate, I eat healthy, I interact with people who love me and make me laugh, I practice breathing, I sunbathe and I don’t drink alcohol or use drugs.

“I have taken control of my life completely”

-Do you think that, in these times, things would have been different, that they could have faced addictions and depression in a different way?

-The answer is yes. I have a lot more knowledge and experience, so I approach things very differently than I would have before. If I were the same age now as I was then, I think I would have more resources.

-What was the family event that affected you the most?

-The drunken fights my parents and I had over cleaning up the broken wine glasses afterwards. In the morning, the kitchen was clean. There was no alcohol, no blood, no trace of what had happened the day before.

© Mauro Barreno Fernández

-What learning have you learned from that episode in your life? Has it made you stronger or taught you to face problems from another perspective?

-It made me stronger, but it also made me think that if I just helped and was seen as useful instead of contributing to the problem, I would be fine. I cleaned up the clutter so that life could be ‘right’. That made me stronger, although I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

-If you had the opportunity to change something about the past, what would you do differently?

-My God! It would change the unhappiness my family felt and the inability to face pain and life head on. I don’t know what I would have done differently; As a child I felt like I was doing the best I could. In retrospect, I realize that even in pain, I always knew my parents loved me.

-How have you decided to protect your daughters from the tragedies that happened before your life?

-My daughters have known about my family problems because I believe in the importance of telling your story. He didn’t want someone else to tell him…

“It has been said that my grandfather drank more than anyone else and that he was always partying and hunting, which he did, but it is unfair that he should be remembered for that”

-What are your general tips for staying mentally healthy?

-Daily exercise, eight hours of sleep, hydration; healthy, whole foods, breathing and meditation or prayer, a daily dose of sunshine, and social connections of love and laughter.

-What are your professional plans for the coming years?

-I am happy to stay busy, whether with my husband’s company, Bobby Williams, with my conferences, with my podcast, with my writing, with my work as an actress, director or producer and with my foundation.

© Mauro Barreno Fernández

-Your last name carries a legacy, what does it mean to you?

-For me, carrying the Hemingway surname is a great responsibility and a wonderful gift, which is why I strive not to sully it. I do it in consideration of my daughters, my granddaughter, all the Hemingways and myself.

-You didn’t get to know your grandfather, but what does it mean to you?

-It has been said that my grandfather drank more than anyone else and that he was always partying and hunting, which he did, but it is unfair that he is remembered for that. We cannot apply the same values ​​of how he lived his life to the one we have now, because, for example, he was not aware that alcohol causes depression. Surely he was just trying to calm the suffering he was going through.