Mighty Ducks star Shaun Weiss has opened up about what he believes caused his drug addiction in a new rare interview.
The actor made his name in the 90s with the role of Goldberg in the trilogy of Mighty Ducks movies about kids playing ice hockey, but in recent years Weiss had been struggling with a drug problem and even spent time behind bars.
He had been sentenced to 150 days in prison for petty theft in 2017, and was arrested for public intoxication a year later.
In January 2020 he was arrested for burglary and being under the influence of meth, resulting in him being sent to a rehab clinic where he could get sober.
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Weiss appears to have taken to it with gusto as in the summer of that year a friend of his said he was 'thriving', with fans of the actor thrilled he was looking so much better than he did just a few months earlier.
While he's made his future look so much better, Weiss has taken the opportunity to reflect on the past in an interview with Today Extra where he spoke candidly about his drug addiction.
Digging down into the root cause of his addiction, Weiss didn't blame a Hollywood lifestyle and instead pointed towards his own personal demons as the real reason.
He said: "I'm feeling better than I have in years and being able to get back and do movies again is, like, just a dream come true.
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"I'll be honest, when all that stuff was going on, I really never thought that I'd be at a spot where I could look back at all that in my rear-view mirror. So to be able to be here now, I feel like I got a second chance.
"I think [my addiction] had less to do with Hollywood and a lot to do with other things. My depression is what led to my drug addiction, and I figured that out over a thousand hours of therapy."
If he hit rock bottom before going into rehab then he has certainly bounced back since then, scoring a role in the movie Jesus Revolution alongside Kelsey Grammer which is set to release later this year.
It will be his first movie role since 2008, and later this month he will be able to mark the moment of being sober for three years.
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Weiss thanked his Mighty Ducks castmates for all of their support during his efforts to overcome his drug addiction, as co-star Aaron Schwartz had created a compilation of Weiss' fellow actors wishing him well.
The actor said all the messages had been 'really overwhelming' and 'meant everything to me' as they reminded him people cared about him when he 'got to a spot where I really didn't care about myself as much'.
Here's hoping his fortunes continue to improve.
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film, Drugs
Joe Harker