K.T Simpson
You may remember Ben Steel as the hunky Jude Lawson on “Home & Away”, whom he played for 3 seasons in the early 2000’s. His acting career was taking off, but soon after returning from working overseas, he found himself struggling with day-to-day life and lacking the passion to go on.
It’s not an uncommon story, and many readers will be nodding their heads in acknowledgement of those feelings of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and a general decline in mental well-being, whilst struggling to see any kind of light at the end of a dark tunnel.
Steel took his experiences and has documented them in the form of a film, “The Show Must Go On”, which focuses on shining a spotlight on mental well-being within the entertainment industry – a topic that is largely overlooked and not talked about nearly enough.
He uses his documentary to talk to a number of familiar faces about their experience with the aforementioned issues within the entertainment industry. Steel’s soul-searching investigation talks to Michala Banas, Sam Neil, Shane Jacobson, Dean Ray, Andy Saunders and so many more people across the various platforms that make up the industry.
We had the absolute pleasure to speak to Ben about the documentary (which is now available to watch on ABC iView) about his experiences that led up to making “The Show Must Go On”, the importance of talking about mental health, and the Wellness Tour that complements the recent release of the documentary.
Katie: Congratulations on the recent release of “The Show Must Go On”, it’s a fantastic and powerful documentary and highlights very important topics that I found I related to very strongly on a personal level. What was your motivation to bring this project to the screen?
Ben: I guess it was a project that I didn’t necessarily choose to make; I kind of had to make. I wasn’t aware at the beginning just how badly I was struggling with myself. I came back from working overseas, and I found it difficult to really get back into the industry. So I just started talking to people and realised that other people were kind of struggling as well. Then I just started filming some of these conversations, like started going, “okay, I think there’s something here”, so I just kept talking and filming conversations, and then it just started to grow and grow. And then ultimately, you know, through that journey, I realise just how much I wasn’t dealing with crap and really how to heal myself. So this film ultimately ended up saving me, really.
Oh, that’s awesome to hear. How did you go about getting so many people within the industry involved to tell the story?
Ben: I literally just started out within my circles, my direct friends and colleagues, I just started asking them and talking to them. I was really mindful that I wanted to spread as far and as wide across the whole industry, not just the screen sector, as possible. And also diversity was important to me as well but sexuality, race, also gender. So I was really mindful that I wanted to cover as much as I could to give a bit of a fair, accurate representation.
So I just started talking to my circles and then the word just started to kind of spread. They were part of the industry that I wasn’t as familiar with, like, you know, dancing and other aspects of live performance and the music industry. I had little bits of some connections over my career in those areas. So, in some areas when I realised that I needed to kind of investigate more, I had to start calling people in those industries that I did know and kind of say, “Hey, can you introduce me to some people down this path?” but I was really overwhelmed by every single person that I spoke to really understood that it was a big issue and they jumped and they wanted to get involved. There was no resistance, as far as was this a good idea? Or was this a valid project or quality project? Everyone was like, “yes, about time, we need to be talking about this”. And there was just a handful of people that didn’t want to participate for various reasons, some that I know, some that won’t disclose. So overwhelmingly just positive; they really wanted to get behind it, they really wanted to talk and share their stories and help improve it.
On that note, did you feel like in this day and age becoming easier and more accepted to talk about mental illness? Or is it still somewhat of a taboo topic in your opinion?
Ben: I don’t think it’s necessarily a taboo topic anymore. But I still do feel like there are barriers for people being able to share their story in the sense that they are scared that it can have implications of their work or some other kind of implication. So I do think there’s still a little bit of hesitation that way, but the more and more people that are sharing the stories in all kinds of industries across the board, like the AFL players coming out and talking about it, James Packer coming out and talking about it, like leaders kind of saying, “Hey, I need a bit of time off for my mental health and well-being.” The more that that kind of happens, I guess the more projects that are talking about it like mine, I guess that’s going to help turn things around as far as the stigma about being able to talk about it.
And I think that the lynchpin there for me is just spreading the awareness that majority of people that have some form of mental illness are functioning normal in society, and we don’t even know about it. So that stigma that if somebody does have something, they can’t actually work, or they can’t actually pick up their kids from school, they can’t do this or that. Most people can still function within their daily life. So this penalty that maybe gets put on them at work or in other aspects of society that oh, you can’t actually function anymore, it’s like, I think if we can dispel those kind of myths, then that will go a long way to dispel the stigma.
Of course, there’s a small percentage of people that have maybe a real crisis or have certain mental illnesses that might not be functioning, but there is a vast majority I believe, in my humble opinion, and I’m not an expert, but from what I’ve observed in research, vast majority of people are functioning normally with a mental illness, just like you can function normally with some physical conditions as well.
Yeah, and I absolutely agree with that. And from my experience, working in offices, it’s becoming more of a talking point such as ‘R U OK Day’. It is important to bring the topic to the table so more people understand and know the signs to look out for, in people that aren’t necessarily friends or family, but just the people you see every day.
Ben: I think some of the stigma as well is actually coming out of a well-intended place, like if somebody is made aware that somebody is down, their caring nature is maybe, “I’ll try to make life a bit easier for them” or “I won’t give them as much work to do” or “I won’t ask them to do that project or something”, “I’ll give them a bit of a break” so they’re well-intended. But what that might be doing is actually penalising them. And they might actually thrive by giving them the task. So it’s kind of a weird thing. Some of this stigma that’s out there is kind of well-intended. But I think the thing is just talk with the person and work with them. Let them tell you what they need and how they can help. And if they say that coming to work is helping them and it’s actually improving them then, like, that’s what they need to do.
They’ll tell you if they need a day off to kind of recover or some stuff going on and they’ve got an appointment or whatnot. Or if things are becoming a little bit difficult, their workload or something, they’ll let you know that, don’t kind of make that decision just without actually talking to them. Include them in your thoughts on that. And it’s going to be a much more balanced and I think, more productive solutions to the workplace.
Yes, I definitely agree. And from your obviously extensive research on the topic, do feel like depression, anxiety and other struggles are an environmental factor within the entertainment industry, given the often demanding schedules and expectations and time in the public eye?
Ben: Well, I think the entertainment industry is not special in the sense that a lot of industries and a lot of people are struggling mental health wise across the board in Australia. I think there’s certain pressures and struggles the entertainment industry face more regularly, or some quirky ones that we face that other industries maybe don’t face, that may be contributing more to explain why the statistics are basically bad in the entertainment industry.
For example, the kind of work that everybody in the entertainment industry does is really kind of vulnerable, it tends to be heart-wrenching human experience kind of work. Yeah, that’s part of your job is to kind of go over there and dig deep inside your soul and investigate stuff and kind of put that out there for people to judge, for people to like or not like. No other industries really kind of go to that level of emotional vulnerability that the entertainment industry does. I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of any other industry outside of entertainment that has that level of emotional vulnerability and I can’t find one.
People are passionate about what they do in other industries and we all appreciate that but I’m not necessarily talking about passion, I’m talking about the emotional vulnerability. So that’s one factor that no other industry faces that may help explain an aspect of if you’re not able to deal with that. And then all the negative things that come back from that, all the struggles that come back from that or the lack of success that comes from that, that could maybe contribute to mental health issues. And I think the only other thing that I’ve been able to kind of understand about the whole equation is other industries have similar pressures to us so that in the entertainment industry, you tend to be facing multiple pressures at the same time. It could be you’re working away from home, you’re on night shift, so you’re not getting very good sleep. You’re not getting that much money.
So just the accumulation of issues that happen in the entertainment industry is kind of the norm, it’s not the exception. So in other industries, you might have overall one or two issues that you may be facing pressure wise. And then from time to time other pressures might come in. In the entertainment industry, we’re facing multiple pressures, all happening all at the same time. And I think that, again, is something that’s unique to the entertainment industry. So they’re the three main things that I’ve been able to kind of understand. And people have been explaining to me that it’s a difference maybe in our industry. It doesn’t mean that we’re special, it just means that we’re facing these things that other parts of society might not be facing.
Do you have any advice that you would offer to those struggling?
Ben: Definitely know that you’re not alone, number one, just knowing that there’s other people. And when you are struggling, and this is the same for me, you kind of feel like you are the only one, like you just can’t explain it. It’s quite weird, it’s so hard to understand that what you’re going through, you know, you just feel so crappy and just so ill equipped and just so dark; you just kind of can’t explain it. There’s a lot of unknown about it.
So I guess if you’re having feelings like that, just know that you are not alone that way; there’s so many people that have been in your situation and move through it, is probably my first point. So you’re not alone and you’re not weird and it’s not just you, is probably the first thing.
And then the second important thing I think is just reach out, whether it’s anonymously via help lines or industry services or counselling programmes in your workplace. Reach out anonymously or to friends and family and colleagues for support, particularly now that we’re spreading this awareness in the industry, nobody in this industry now should have to deal with this alone. There are so many great things happening in our industry to help improve it: your unions, your guilds, your associations, your groups, everybody is kind of alive at this now. So just reach out and talk to somebody so that you can get support because the isolation of feeling like you’re alone and then the inactivity of not reaching out for any help so therefore you feel even more alone, I believe that is probably the recipe for disaster.
Oh, 100%.
Ben: Yeah, so I think just that reaching out and just knowing that you can get through that and the more and more people like myself and the awesome people that share their stories in my film and the more and more people explaining that they were at a point where they feel like they couldn’t get out and then they did, the more you realise that when you’re in darkest hours and think, “I’m just gonna stay here, I know it’s coming soon, I know I’m going to get through this,” – you will, you can, you can get through this.
Yeah, absolutely. And that’s one piece of advice a therapist gave me years ago, “This too shall pass”. And in the darkest moments in my life, I’ve always thought that. It definitely helps to know that you’re not alone, so good advice there.
Ben: Thank you.
So, on another note, your acting, directing and writing credits are quite substantial. What would you say, if anything, is your favourite thing to do?
Ben: Oh God, I kind of love it all. I mean, I guess in my deepest heart and truth, it’s acting still. But I love other ways to tell stories, whether it’s writing a story and then participating and acting in it. I love the producing side of things for the organisation: I love keeping boxes and organising stuff and having schedules. I’m not so big on the budget but I like spending money, but I’m not good on the accounting side. I do my best.
And this is one thing I think hopefully is a message that’s coming across in the film. And certainly when we’re doing like our national tour, our wellness tour around the country, which we started in workshops in the discussions that I’m hoping to get across, and that’s the beautiful thing about pursuing your creative career is that you can do many different things, you can bring skills from behind the scenes in front of the camera, and vice versa.
So, we have the opportunity in our industry to learn many different things and jump around a little bit and have income streams from so many different places. And that’s a beautiful thing. So to kind of, to a degree, just put myself in a box and kind of say, “okay, this is the only place that I’m getting my income, it’s only going to be acting in Hollywood movies”, that’s really silly, now I can see it that way. And that doesn’t mean that it’s not important to have goals or aspirations but it’s the expectations that’s attached to those goals or deadlines or expectations of “my film’s gonna come out this certain way at a certain time” and things. And if it doesn’t, then I’m a failure, so it’s the expectations attached to things like that, I feel like is a big problem.
I think that’s the beautiful thing about the creative industry: is that we can bring our skill set across our industries to get many different income streams but we can also take our skills outside to other industries and they’re in demand. I love that we’re so focused, we’re so connected to ourselves and we can communicate with people. So these skills that we might just take for granted in our industry, in other industries they pay us good money for, and I love that we’re so focused as an artist on minor details. You also have to have the ability to look at the big picture as well and see the whole project.
So those kind of basic skills once you understand and you hold them in other jobs, in other industries, like it’s amazing how in demand those kind of skills are. And if we can earn income from outside of our industry as well that can support us in our own industry, like that’s the perfect recipe.
Yeah, and it’s interesting you say that because I have found as a creative person myself, even though I work nine to five in an office, I find that the skills that I can bring to the table are important and are acknowledged so it’s good to be able to show off those talents and use them. And that’s the beauty of the creative industry like you say like it’s such a wide industry that you can put your hand in as many pies as you want, really.
Ben: Yeah, definitely. And I kind of touched on it with the expectations that I was talking about before. And part of that that I had to go through myself is what is my definition of success? If definition of success to me is a Hollywood blockbuster movie, the reality is that I might achieve it but it’s a very, very slim chance that I would.
If my definition of success is that I’m going to be creative until the day that I die, I can perfectly achieve that. If my goal is I’m going to read a play a week or a screenplay a week, I can achieve that. There are things I can achieve and that’s if you redefine your definition of success and appreciation for what you actually do. If I can pay my bills on a weekly basis, a monthly or yearly basis, regardless of where the income comes from so that I can pursue my creative endeavours, that’s success. So redefining what success means to me was one of the amazing things and gifts that I got on the film by just rebalancing it. And it took so much pressure off my plate. It also made me just so much more aware and grateful of what I actually already had in front of me.
So what are you working on next? You mentioned your wellness tour.
Ben: Yeah. So we launched that last Wednesday, actually, so we started doing some work on that, doing Q&A’s and we’re planning on having other workshop events happening and we’ve got resources around this as well as to really kick start this conversation and equip people in the creative industry to manage the creative pursuits in a more healthy manner.
So we’re doing that, yes, we’re talking about having screenings nationally at the moment, and then hopefully regionally at institutions as well, in training institutions, and then we’ll be open for community screenings and whatnot. So that’s keeping me busy at the moment, but at the same time, just, you know, slowly developing a few other ideas that I can maybe help in the mental health space and in other areas as well.
Awesome. That’s so great to hear. I really appreciate that’s what you’re doing because I think it’s a very important issue that I feel passionate about myself, but that needs to be brought to the table and talked about. I’m pretty much an open book; I have no shame in talking about things that I’ve struggled with because I find that it helps others. So it’s very admirable that you’ve not only got the documentary but you are following up with the tour and helping people that are within that space and opening that discussion up, so yeah, more power to you.
Ben: Thank you, thank you. Yeah, I think that once you kind of find passion for yourself, like for me, it was acting and filmmaking but having a cause attached to it as well just added even greater depth and meaning for me. I still believe in the power of telling stories to reach people and reflect back to people, their own lives. So, I’m just bringing both of those aspects and then putting it behind this cause because I obviously struggled with it myself, so I’m just hoping that I can help be part of the bigger solution.
Thank you for your support and getting behind us and spreading the word and doing your bit to kind of help with this issue.
You can watch Ben Steel’s documentary “The Show Must Go On” NOW for free on ABC iView.
For details about the Wellness Roadshow, see below for dates, or head to this link for information and tickets
Sydney
2:30pm, Tuesday 29 Oct 2019
NSW Parliament House
6 Macquarie Street
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Book Now
Melbourne (Screen Forever)
10-11.00am, Wednesday 13 Nov 2019
M11, Level One, Crown Conference Centre
8 Whiteman Street
Southbank, VIC, Australia
Book Now
Adelaide
3:00pm Tuesday 19 Nov 2019
Media Resource Centre
13 Morphett Street
Adelaide SA, Australia
Further Info – email: diana@filmartmedia.com
