SHAZAM! Star Says God’s Love Pulled Him Out of ‘Death Spiral’

Published: December 31, 2024

Moviguide® interviews Zachary Levi for THE STAR. Movieguide® photo.

SHAZAM! Star Says God’s Love Pulled Him Out of ‘Death Spiral’

By Movieguide® Contributor

SHAZAM! star Zachary Levi has experienced some really dark times in his life, but by the grace of God, he overcame them.

In a discussion on the Glenn Beck podcast, the actor opened up about his journey.

“I really felt like God was like…God is going to make a better Hollywood, and I get to be a part of doing whatever that is, right? And I just felt this, and I still feel it, I’m still convicted to do it. I’m still working on it. But I moved out to Austin…not realizing how much of myself I was running away from, not realizing I was a very unhappy person at that at that time.”

He explained that he didn’t realize that at the time, and after moving to Austin, years of emotional trauma came to the surface. He found himself in a very dark place.

“I buy this 75 acres out in a city that I’m not from, that I barely know anyone in. I’m totally alone, and I have a complete mental breakdown.”

Coupled with facing his trauma, cutting out things like smoking, Adderall and alcohol sent Levi into a “dopamine spiral, death spiral.”

“I think most people are still struggling with not even really recognizing everything that’s there. Once you do, it’s almost impossible to not have to start working on it because…it’s like right in your face.”

Levi admitted that, at one point, he considered taking his own life, but his 1-year-old nephew stopped him from doing so.

“I knew that my younger sister and my older sister, they would never recover, and that child’s life would be forever altered in such a horrible way. Then I would be I would then be passing on this generational trauma in a completely different way…and he would be so negatively affected,” he explained.

After going on a retreat, Levi learned how to love himself and he learned about God’s love. “No matter where you’re from or where you’re going or anything in between, you are a beloved child of God you are an extension of God and God’s love, and therefore you are worthy of that love,” he told Beck.

“The enemy, the darkness tells us you’re uniquely broken; nobody’s been broken like you, nobody’s going to understand your brokenness, everyone’s going to think, ‘Wow, how weird they’re broken like this because nobody is broken like this,’” Levi told the Christian Post in 2022. “And that’s kind of weird and messed up. That’s such a lie. It is a lie from the pit of Hell. We all struggle with the same stuff and we’ve all been struggling with it since the beginning of time. So we’ve got to be willing to accept these ideas and accept that your brain is very easily hijacked.”