BOILING POINT
Inside Stephen Graham’s struggle after hit role in This Is England, from alcoholism, depression and attempted suicide
The much-loved actor revealed his heartbreaking past
AWARD-winning actor Stephen Graham hit the headlines after his foul-mouthed touchline rant at a non-league game shocked everyone there.
After "snapping for no reason", the outburst left the star admitting he needed to “do some soul searching and work out why I behaved the way I did”.
5
5
5
The star has previously opened up about his mental health struggles, revealing they reached a fever pitch while filming This is England.
The award-winning actor, who was in the 2023 New Year Honours list for his services to drama, said that filming for such a violent role truly took its toll.
Admitting to "losing himself" at the time, the actor, who played racist skinhead Combo in Shane Meadow's hit 2006 drama, said he used alcohol to cope with the intense pressure of the role.
Speaking on Desert Island Discs he said: "It was life-changing. I lost myself quite a bit within that character."
Read More Stephen Graham
Stephen admitted he often came home to "cry my eyes out" after shooting scenes for the show, saying: "For me, that was where I really learned to dive into a character."
He also admitted that after filming finished he struggled to get roles: "For about eight months, I couldn't get an audition."
"I almost packed it all in. I was going to be a youth worker."
Reminiscing on his time during the show, he said the script brought up painful memories of racist abuse he had suffered when he was younger.
Most read in TV
The 51-year-old, whose grandfather was from Jamaica, said: "I'm mixed race. As a kid, I was called horrible words that I don't even want to say, and little monkey boy."
And while the pressures of both his life and work have been hard, the much-loved actor admitted he loved working on: "dramas that tell the truth."
He said: "I love to go into people’s living rooms and create conversation and debate, try and bring about some discussion about what they’re watching.";
"It’s important for me, as an actor, to be part of something that’s a social commentary."
The Liverpudlian, who has also starred in Line of Duty and Peaky Blinders, has also admitted to suffering from "really bad depression" in his early 20s.
Speaking to The Sunday Times in 2019, the actor said: "In my early twenties, I suffered from really bad depression and tried to take my own life once."
"Thankfully, the rope snapped and I'm here today."
He also revealed that the 'intense' method of acting he was learning at drama school, alongside personal problems, had caused an "induced psychosis".
He said: "Method acting is a wonderful practice, and I threw everything at it. I had a couple of incidents and then I felt like I couldn’t handle it anymore."
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,
- HUMEN
- Mind, , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus,, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans,, 116 123
"It was like an induced psychosis. Basically, I had a breakdown. I was a young man, 20 years old. I'd just left home."
He went on to say: "My little brother had just been born. My mum and dad had lost a little boy at birth three years before. My nana had passed away when I was 14."
"I was in the big wide world on my own and it wasn't easy."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Stephen is married to actress and producer Hannah Walters after they met while training as actors.
They married in 2008 and have two teenage children, Grace and Alfie.
5
5
Topics