Actress Olivia Munn is opening up about one of her most difficult secrets, which she has been hiding, but it all started when she was in a relationship with actor Chris Pine in 2009.
The 44-year-old actor recently spoke about having trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder that leads to compulsive hair pulling, on the June 30 episode of the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard.
In the case of Munn, the behavior is the feeling of a need to pluck her eyelashes.
Although this is not the first time she has opened up a little about the disorder, this was finally the time Munn went into details about how the unruly nature of the disorder began, how it feels and what role the scathing public opinion (particularly online chatter) played in contributing to the development of the disorder in a rather painful way.
Everything Started With a Single Paparazzi Photo
Munn revealed that her trichotillomania began at the time she was becoming famous in Hollywood, that is, when she was dating Chris Pine, an actor in the Star Trek series, in 2009.
Paparazzi caught the two as they were leaving the home of Pine, and those shots would soon find their way on gossip blogs and tabloids.
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Munn remembered that she came out at his house and there were paparazzi there already because he had just done Star Trek and all that. and they took pictures of me. She was like, Oh my god.’”
Although the images may have appeared benign to the external society, it was the online response that impacted her the most.
Specifically, the reaction to one of the blog posts was the one that remained in her mind and eventually led to her struggle with mental health.
They just said, I think she rigged this up. Who is clutching at lunch?’” Munn recalled, still aroused. That marked the start of my trichotillomania.
What is Trichotillomania?
The Mayo Clinic defines trichotillomania as a mental condition that is characterized by frequent, uncontrollable urges to pluck hair out of the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, or other body locations. It is commonly associated with stress, anxiety, or trauma.
To Munn, the temptation is very physical.
It has a feeling, she said. It is unlikely it is even real and when I feel like, Oh, this eyelash is going to come out, it is not going to happen.
Then when you draw it, you get a moment of pain. And then there is a satisfaction. And then–instant repentance.”
Mental Health Cost of Fame
The narrative of Munn is a wakeup call about the emotional price commonly associated with fame, especially among women in the entertainment business.
Even celebrity stars who appear very cool on the outside may bear the scars of public ridicule, body-shaming, and unfounded charges.
She remembered attending a minor event when she was on The Daily Show in a dress that she dubbed as the “ugliest dress ever” in the hope that she would end up in a worst-dressed list as a joke.
It was a success but also her first experience with the tabloid culture.
I was like, I couldnâ€anon believe it turned out, she laughed, and continued, The fact that they knew who I was to even put me on this list. It was quite exciting, yet overwhelming.”
Look Back Chris Pine and Olivia Munn
Munn and Pine had a short relationship during the late 2009 into early 2010. They mostly escaped scrutiny, but these few public exchanges now have some sentimental value to Munn, given how they fit into her emergent mental health storyline.
Munn had nothing but nice things to say about Pine despite their breakup a decade earlier.
He is terrific, she said. We just went to SNL 50, and we were both in the airport lounge. It was so nice to see each other again. He is the best.”
The fact that they were still good friends is the silver lining of what was an otherwise emotionally challenging time in her life.
The Gossip after Hollywood
Nowadays, the life of Olivia Munn has changed significantly.
She is currently married to comedian John Mulaney and has two toddler children son Malcolm, 3, and daughter Mei, 9 months. Now, her days are devoted to family, being a mother, and a new phase of life, which is no longer characterized by mental health awareness.
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Munn is part of this movement, which has seen more celebrities like her come out in open on the podcast to help de-stigmatize mental health issues. Anxiety to OCD and now trichi, celebrities such as Munn are making other people feel less alone in their fight.
A Call to Other People Going through a Silent Struggle
The unadulterated truth that Munn shares serves to bring to light a disorder that most of us know of, yet know little of. She is hoping, as are other advocates, that people will be more understanding and not only of celebrities, but of anyone who lives with an invisible mental disorder.
She said, often you do not know what another person is going through. Even a regular comment on a photo may turn into a chain reaction that may last years.
It is a story of weakness, survival and, finally, strength.
