Though most likely know Alex Winter as the easy-going, positive spirited Bill in the Bill and Ted series, the actor has gone through a lot more in life than his onscreen persona gives away. In fact, Alex Winter began his career at the age of 12, and is currently working on a documentary about the reality of what it means to be a child actor: an experience that he admits left him with severe PTSD and eventually led him to leave the business for quite some time.
It was in an interview with The Guardian that Alex Winter discussed his own experiences as a child actor, briefly mentioning the abuse he suffered at the hands of an unnamed assailant: “There was The King and I – eight shows a week, happy face – feeling genuinely happy in that role. Great relationship with my mom and dad; great relationship with the co-workers around me; doing interviews, signing autographs, living this amazing … and then this nightmarish other existence.” Alex Winter has not named his abuser, only acknowledging that he died at some point since the abuse.
It was very difficult for Winter to keep his life on track after the abuse, citing extreme mental distress that was very hard on his well-being. “I had extreme PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] for many, many years, and that will wreak havoc on you. It’s a way in which you relate to the world around you and to yourself, and it’s very nuanced, but you can become very fractured. So you slowly compartmentalize. You keep this thing over here, you keep that thing over there, and you don’t have any natural equilibrium. That fracturing just gets worse and worse and worse.”
It was around 1993 that Winter decided he needed a break from the spotlight. He admits that in one's 20's especially, the showbiz world can seem grim and overwhelming. "That’s when you see kids overdosing or blowing their heads off. In my case, I was just like, I need to stop doing this thing where these eyes are on me all the time and I don’t feel safe or comfortable … I just want to go ride the subway and help raise a family and do my writing and directing.” In the meantime, he has spent his energy directing documentaries on subjects like the Panama Papers and how Napster changed the music industry.
He didn't quit acting entirely, returning to theaters with Keanu Reeves for the third installment of Bill and Ted, but his main priority right now is Showbiz Kids, a documentary about child actors. The documentary is harsh towards Hollywood, but also fair, noting the good and bad of what it means to be a child actor. Though Winter does not view his time as a child star in an entirely negative light, he had words of warning for those interested in getting their kids in show business: “If you put your kid in the business or you allow your kid to enter the business, you have to understand that there will 100% be consequences. Those could be incredibly severe; they could be fatal; they could be minor. But absolutely there will be consequences.”
Showbiz Kids premieres July 14th on HBO.
Source: The Guardian