Brittany Snow took a life-altering leap of faith in her career. Having burst onto the entertainment scene as a teenager during the early 2000s, the Pitch Perfect alum knew that stepping away from the limelight to focus on her mental health – including battles with an eating disorder and self-harm – was a lifesaving decision in the long run. "My life depended on it," Brittany told Self magazine in an article published on November 6th. "I mean, there was no way I would still be here—and I'm trying not to be hyperbolic."
After a year of outpatient treatment for her anorexia and self-harm, the 39-year-old returned to work with her role in 2012's Pitch Perfect, which she credits with bringing happiness back into her life. "I was so grateful, staying after hours," the Hunting Wives star said. "Everybody was complaining about the long shoots, and I was thinking, 'This is amazing.' I just felt so grateful to be a part of that movie because I didn't think I was ever going to work again."
She added, "That movie was really special to me." And while Brittany's hiatus came after breakout performances in movies like John Tucker Must Die and Hairspray, she looks back on those roles as places she could escape to amid her most challenging moments. "I think in those days," she said, "I needed to be a part of movies that made me fall in love with life again."
While Brittany had to call it quits on her career as a life-saving measure, she credits her return to Hollywood for helping her stay on course in her recovery journey, despite some setbacks. "I always knew I was supposed to be doing this and that I could get here," she shared of her career. "I just didn't know when."
"I'm so grateful that I've had both sides of this," she added. "Because I really do know the people that really care about me—the people that were with me and around me when I couldn't get a job and I didn't know what I was going to do—and wanted to hang out with me just as much."
