Wes Bentley was lucky to meet a co-star in 2009 essentially responsible for his recovery and ongoing sobriety, as he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2013. While shooting Roland Joffe's There Be Dragons in Argentina, this unnamed actor shared the secrets of his own recovery, moving Bentley with his "enthusiasm for life." After enduring a detox period in Los Angeles, Bentley began rehabbing back in Buenos Aires with his newfound friend.
Married since 2010 to TV producer Jacqui Swedberg, Bentley — since beginning recovery — had snagged a key role in Christopher Nolan's 2014 space thriller Interstellar. This marks a triumphant turn of events from when he declined a meeting with Nolan out of insecurity, per THR. Additionally, he has had starring roles in hit shows like FX's American Horror Story as well as Paramount Network's Yellowstone opposite Kevin Costner.
Per the New York Post, the actor hopes to impart the message with young artists that doing drugs and being creative are not inherently intertwined. "It's something I fell into. I already had a wild, creative mind and I thought I could accelerate that with drugs... Then I learned many of the artists I admire did not do drugs," Bentley said. "The biggest problem is the shame. It keeps you down. But you can turn it around." With Bentley's Hollywood trajectory headed upward again, it would seem he surely has.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7XCpKCsr5mbwW%2BvzqZmbG9lZ4F1e8inqqKclWLEpr%2BMm5ynrJyaxrR5x6Kqraeirnq4tdOhZJqclJ6wtbXOp2Y%3D