Mariel Hemingway isn’t haunted by personal demons anymore.
The Oscar-nominated actress, who is the granddaughter of the late Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, feels at peace after addressing a dark past. For decades, her family has been plagued by alcoholism, addiction and mental illness.
Seven of Hemingway’s family members have taken their own lives, including her famous grandfather in 1961, and her sister Margaux Hemingway, the former supermodel, in 1996. Hemingway, who has battled an eating disorder, has written two books, “Out Came the Sun,” and “Invisible Girl,” to help shed light on personal struggles facing many people.
“I did suffer tremendously,” the 61-year-old, who is starring in Pure Flix’s new film, “God’s Country Song,” admitted to Fox News Digital. “I had depression probably most of my life… My belief in God has been a cornerstone for me… It has helped me understand the things that I came from. I come from an amazing family, but there was also a lot of addiction, alcoholism, depression and suicides. And very serious mental illnesses that I was deeply afraid of.”
“I knew a lot about [my grandfather] in a way, but I didn’t realize until I was 16 that he’d taken his life,” Hemingway explained. “I didn’t realize where he had taken his life. And it was in the hometown that I grew up in, Ketchum, Idaho. He took his life there. Stories were like mythology… You heard about it, and it was… a part of your life, but you weren’t completely sure.”
Mariel Hemingway is starring in the new faith-based film, “God’s Country Song.” (Pure Flix)
“I always had this sense that I was connected to my grandfather in some way,” she reflected. “I don’t know if that was just wishful thinking.”
Growing up, Hemingway witnessed her parents’ tumultuous marriage. The sweet romance they once shared had soured, with alcohol being a major culprit. Her sisters rebelled and experimented with drugs to cope. Hemingway previously told People magazine that her eldest sister Muffet is bipolar and schizophrenic. She also believed that Margaux “suffered from bipolar disorder but was never properly diagnosed.”
Hollywood came calling. Margaux, who had been cast in the 1976 film “Lipstick,” suggested that Hemingway play her sibling. Following her appearance, Woody Allen cast her in 1979’s “Manhattan.”
As Hemingway’s fame skyrocketed, she faced her own personal struggles. According to People magazine, she suffered from an eating disorder for “a long time. From about age 16 to 40.” She noted that both her father and grandfather “obsessed” over food and weight.
Mariel Hemingway skyrocketed to fame after she starred in Woody Allen’s 1979 film “Manhattan.” (United Artists/Getty Images)
“It was all about control, control, control,” Hemingway explained. “I’ll control food, I’ll control exercise, I’ll control what I think. It took a long time to get through these different journeys of obsession. Obsession with food, obsession with exercise, obsession with [the idea] that somebody’s gonna fix me – until I realized that I was the only person that could fix me. That doesn’t mean I didn’t need help, or I wasn’t guided by people. But you have to start trusting that inner voice, the voice inside you that says, ‘You’re OK. You need to calm down. You need to learn to breathe. You need to pray more.’ Whatever works for you.”
Mariel Hemingway said she struggled with an eating disorder. (Daniel Simon/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Hemingway said revamping her lifestyle has completely transformed her outlook on life.
“I’m a big believer that lifestyle has a tremendous lot to do with your body and your mind,” she said. “I guard my sleep. I get up every morning to pray and meditate. I am very conscious of what I eat. I drink water, I connect to the Earth. I take my shoes off and walk either in my backyard in Idaho or, when I’m in Los Angeles, I’ll walk on the beach. But these things I know, for me, have a tremendous effect on how my brain is. I believe that how you live your life and how you choose to live your life is extraordinarily powerful. And when we take control of that, we have the power to do anything we want physically and mentally.”
“We all can make ourselves the best that we can be,” she added.
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Mariel Hemingway, seen here in Cuba, splits her time between Idaho and Los Angeles. (Michael Bezjian/Getty Images)
“It’s so wonderful and – oh my gosh – the singing is great,” she gushed.
Hemingway splits her time between Idaho and Los Angeles. The mom of two daughters also launched the Mariel Hemingway Foundation, which aims to provide resources to those struggling with their mental health. She also has a podcast, “Out Comes the Sun,” where she discusses “mental, physical and spiritual wellness.”
