By Gavin Boyle
After exposing childhood trauma from being a child actor through last year’s docuseries QUIET ON SET, Drake Bell explained how he continues to express himself through his music.
“I tell my story through my art, and the documentary is one way of seeing my story,” Bell told The Hollywood Reporter. “But if you really want to know what’s going on in my mind, my heart and my thoughts, to get down to the nitty gritty, you should check out my record and what I’m doing artistically, because that’s a much more pure reflection of what’s gone on in my life and my experiences.”
“I’m a little exhausted doing interviews and rehashing, answering the same questions that are already out there,” he continued, adding that he is still happy with his decision to share his past hurt and connect with others who experienced similar trauma. “Sharing my experience with other people who’ve had similar experiences and have had the opportunity to talk about that with me, that would never get exhausting.”
QUIET ON SET exposed the pedophilia and child abuse that has been rampant in Hollywood for decades. Multiple former child actors shared the abuse they experienced at the hands of Hollywood executives, including Bell, who was sexually abused by Brian Peck, a producer on his show DRAKE & JOSH.
Related: Nickelodeon Star Details ‘Worst Part’ of Abuse Story: A ‘Monster in Your Safe Place’
Though it was taxing to bring up this old trauma and scary to expose secrets of the industry, Bell shared that doing so has transformed his life, helping him move on from his past hurt while also finding support from others who had a similar experience.
“It’s been a really nice weight lifted,” he told PEOPLE, reflecting on the project a year later. “It’s a roller coaster of emotions. I don’t want to sugarcoat it and make the message, ‘Hey, all you got to do is just tell somebody and get your story out and when you wake up the next day, it’s going to be gone and everything’s going to be fine and you’re going to walk through life without any pain or sorrow or sadness!’ It’s always going to be there, but it’s a lot nicer getting support.”
Bell also took part in the exposé because he felt like he needed to tell the truth for the sake of his son. He felt that he would have been ashamed his whole life for continuing to be a part of the Hollywood cover up, rather than facing the industry, despite the fear he felt.
“As [my son] grows, he’s going to hear things, and people are going to have opinions. But my hope is that he’ll be able to say, ‘Yeah, my dad did go through that. Yeah, that did happen to my dad. Yeah, my dad did do that. But the man I’ve known my whole life and the man that I know today is a hero to me,’” Bell told NBC News. “‘And the fact that he’s been able to get through these things has helped me be able to face the world and not let it tear me down.’”
Read Next: Drake Bell Says Son Influenced Decision to Share Abuse Story in QUIET ON SET
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