Wentworth Miller Says He's Stronger For Surviving Suicide Attempts

By
On Top Magazine Staff
| November 14, 2013

Actor-writer Wentworth Miller says he's stronger for surviving suicide attempts as a teenager.

The 41-year-old recently out Miller, who is best know for his role as Michael Scofield in the Fox series Prison Break, revealed in September that he attempted to kill himself several times as a teenager.

In speaking to gay glossy Out for its upcoming Out100 double issue, Miller was asked what he might say to his 15-year-old self.

“There are plenty of things I'd say to my 15-year-old self, especially prior to his suicide attempt,” Miller responded. “However, I'd have things to say to him in the aftermath as well. I remember carrying around deep feelings of shame after I tried to kill myself, feeling like I'd stumbled or failed life's exam. That I was now 'damaged goods.' What I would say to that younger self – what I'd say to anyone who's walked a similar road – is to focus less on the fact that you nearly ended your life and more on the fact that you survived, that you lived to tell the tale. And then tell it. I'd say, 'What you think of as scars are medals. They're badges of honor, testifying to something inside you that is determined and tenacious and enduring.' That's why when someone who knows my story approaches me with a 'poor you' attitude, my response is, 'Don't feel sorry for me. Because I know what it is to be tested. I know what it's like to be broken and to have to pick myself up again. I know who I am in those moments. And I'm stronger for it.' There are people out there who have never been tested, who have never been broken, so when life eventually comes for them they can't say for sure how they'll respond. Maybe they'll pick themselves up and maybe they won't. And my heart goes out to them. Because sooner or later, life comes for everybody.”

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