May 7 (UPI) — “Guardians of the Galaxy” filmmaker James Gunn revealed this weekend he experienced “suicidal thoughts” when he was younger.
He also shared what helped him through the difficult times in his life.
“When I was young I felt utterly alone, at times to the point of suicidal thoughts. I never felt like I belonged, had an incredibly difficult time connecting to other people and, despite having love around me, I had an impossible time experiencing it, or taking it in,” the 46-year-old Missouri native wrote in a Facebook post Saturday.
“But I found my respite in popular entertainment – Marvel comics, science fiction and horror films, the music of The Sex Pistols, The Replacements, and Queen,” he continued.
“Suddenly I could see past the bland suburbs where I lived into a more magical world, a world more aligned with what I imagined. Sometimes these works were simply escapist fantasies that distracted me from the difficulties of my internal life. But other times, in the strongest moments – maybe through the words of Alice Cooper or Freddie Mercury, through Cronenberg films, or even in Chewbacca’s growl, I experienced something deeper – the realization that I wasn’t completely alone. Someone out there was as weird and strange and whacked out as I was. So this morning, as the internet discusses box office and its many theories around what that means (zzzzzzzz), I’d like to remember that that’s truly all nonsense and noise. The only meaning the money holds for me is that I can pay my mortgage, feed my dog and cat, and continue making movies. I haven’t worked two and a half years just to watch a string of numbers getting higher. I work because I like telling stories. I work because I love the relationships I have with my collaborators. And I do it because I like connecting with people, and the easiest way I know how to do that is through filmmaking.”
“Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2″ is the No. 1 movie in North America this weekend, having earned $145 million in receipts. Gunn is also onboard to helm a third installment in the space-adventure franchise.
