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Amanda Bynes Was Depressed After Doing Boy Drag in She’s the Man
"I went into a deep depression for 4-6 months because I didn't like how I looked when I was a boy."
With the rise of social media, the lives of our favorite celebrities are more exposed than ever—and those dealing with drug abuse and mental issues are often the most vulnerable to a particularly nasty kind of viral takedown.
Actress and comedian Amanda Bynes faced that all-too-familiar fate in 2014 (she perhaps still hasn't lived down a tweet asking Drake to murder her vagina). She's since gone to rehab and, now working on her Associate's Degree at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, she's ready to return to the spotlight.
Bynes opened up to Paper Magazine about her battle with substance abuse, her body issues, those infamous tweets, restarting her acting career, and even how her dragged up role in 2006's She's the Man influenced issues with her body.
If you're not familiar, the modern-day Shakespearian film follows Bynes donning sideburns and basketball shorts to pose as her older brother on the soccer team of an elite (and all-male) school. All is well until she starts falling for one of her teammates, who just so happens to be a doe-eyed Channing Tatum.
"He wasn't famous yet," said Bynes. "He'd just done a Mountain Dew commercial and I was like, 'This guy's a star—every girl will love him!'"
Thankfully she got her way and the world was blessed with the Magic Mike heartthrob, but after the movie premiered, Bynes was left with a bitter taste in her mouth. It was "an interesting experience," she said. "When the movie came out and I saw it, I went into a deep depression for 4-6 months because I didn't like how I looked when I was a boy."
Watching herself look like that was, "a super strange and out-of-body experience. It just really put me into a funk."
"I've never told anyone that," Bynes reflected.
Bynes went on and shared other body image issues and how they led to her quitting midway through filming Hall Pass and her dislike of her role in Easy A.
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
