Ed Helms discusses why The Hangover gave him anxiety
Ed Helms knew that fame was not without cost.
The star of The Hangover franchise spoke to Conan O’Brien on the latter’s podcast where he discusses the anxiety he felt after the premier of the highly successful comedy in 2009.
“It was a tornado of fame…it was very overwhelming,” Helms explained. “I also feel very lucky for that as well, because my public persona had risen gradually.”
Though Helms had experienced what he called a “toy level” of fame from his work on The Daily Show And The OfficeHe called The Hangover a “whole new level.”
“When The Hangover came out, it was so exciting, and another way I was lucky on that one — 10 million ways I was lucky — was that Bradley [Cooper] Zack [Galifianakis] and I were all on the same level before that, so we were all going through it together,” Helms shared. “If it wasn’t for those guys, I don’t think I would have stayed sane. We all had each other to…commiserate, and measure ourselves.”
Helms also noted that the film came with many more opportunities to do different kinds of projects, which came with “weird conversations with agents and reps.”
“I definitely felt a lot of anxiety and identity turmoil,” he said. “One of the craziest things about a massive jump into fame like that is — and I think this is what people who never dealt with it or came close to it can never understand — is just the total loss of your environment. When you’re a famous person, you just can’t stand at baggage claim and expect it to be normal.”
Helms has discovered that there are many ways to approach these situations.
“You can get very fearful and try to hide in the bathroom until you see your luggage come on the carousel, then run out and grab it and run away — or you know, hire lots of people to do all these things for you,” he added. “Or, you know — which I think is the best thing — is to just kind of accept the fluid nature of these situations and accept that the stakes really are never quite as high as you think they are kind of in your mind.”
Helms has previously spoken about his philosophy on life. a 2012 interview with Men’s Health.
He stated that “personal responsibility is one the most important things” at the time. “I struggle with this all the time. No matter how good or bad things are going, you’ve gotta just take responsibility for yourself. I always say, ‘If you’re eating a s*** sandwich, chances are you ordered it.’ The same applies to filet mignon.
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