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“It became clear that once I lost the weight that I was the same head in a new body”
Josh Peck is taking a look back at a dark time in his life.
In an interview with People for its latest issue, the 35-year-old actor opened up about his past struggles with drugs and alcohol, as well as a former battle with food addiction.
Peck will discuss the topics in his upcoming memoir, “Happy People Are Annoying,” which is out March 15.
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“I was always looking for something outside to fix my insides,” he told People. “But eventually I realized that whether my life was beyond my wildest dreams or a total mess, it didn’t change the temperature of what was going on in my mind. I knew that nothing in the outside world would make me feel whole.”
Peck’s career started with doing stand-up comedy, but it famously kicked off with his role on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy, “The Amanda Show.” After the series ended in 2002, Peck went on to appear in a couple of small roles, before he was cast in the Nickelodeon sitcom “Drake & Josh,” opposite Drake Bell.
While speaking with the publication, Peck — who has been sober since 2008 — detailed what led to his struggles.
“I spent most of my life dying to be typical but I grew up with a single mom, I was overweight and I was a musical theater kid who really had no social status,” said Peck, who was raised in New York City and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 13.
The YouTube star said he was often made fun of because of his weight, noting that, “Comedy was my natural defense mechanism.”
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Peck revealed that at 15, he weighed nearly 300 pounds, sharing that he would eat large pizzas by himself on the regular. The “Turner & Hooch” actor said he eventually realized he had to make a change and ultimately lost 127 pounds following a year and a half of dieting and exercising.
Despite his drastic weight loss, Peck said he wasn’t content and soon realized it wasn’t his physical size that was the issue.
“It became clear that once I lost the weight that I was the same head in a new body,” he recalled. “What is really clear is that I overdo things.”
“And then I discovered drugs and alcohol,” he continued. “And that became my next chapter. I used food and drugs to numb my feelings.”
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“It was really a buffet,” he told the magazine, before recalling, “I had this illusion of becoming more confident and attractive when I was partaking. I was trying to quiet that voice that woke me up every morning and told me I wasn’t enough.”
The “How I Met Your Father” star added that his addiction then impacted his reputation, saying he became known in the industry as being “unstable and erratic.” He explained, “I had worked so hard for this thing and I was getting very close to losing it.”
After going through treatment and getting sober, Peck found success in his acting career post- “Drake & Josh,” with roles in the 2008 films, “The Wackness” and “Drillbit Taylor.” He also found an audience on YouTube, Vine and Instagram.
“By walking through discomfort and by doing my best to break down the false identity I had for myself, I was able to get to the place that I was always seeking,” he said reflecting on his past struggles. “I’m just trying to do good work that makes people happy.”
Peck — who shares 3-year-old son Max with wife Paige O’Brien — concluded, “It took me a really long time to love the 15-year-old version of me, But now I understand how strong he was. And I feel like everything in my life set me up to find this chapter of health, peace and contentment.”
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