Letitia Wright saw her BAFTAs acceptance speech as the perfect "opportunity" to speak about her struggles with depression.
The 25-year-old actress – who won the coveted Rising Star Award at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night (10.02.19) – revealed in her acceptance speech that she nearly quit acting due to a "deep depression".
Reflecting on her speech, Letitia explained: "I didn’t write anything, I just thought, if I were to win I’d just speak from my heart.
"I knew that I was struggling with stuff that many people in the industry were struggling with and are hiding away from and not opening up and telling people about.
"Whether it be sadness, depression, thinking they’re not good enough and not allowing their light to shine within them.
"That was my opportunity to say it to them, that ‘Hey, I see you and I understand what you’re going through.’"
Letitia admitted that the glitz and glamour of the movie business can often be misleading.
She said: "This looks great, a red carpet and a nice dress looks great. But people on the inside are feeling sad and they’re feeling broken, so how can I encourage them tonight?"
In her acceptance speech, the actress spoke openly about her depression struggles.
She shared: "A few years ago I saw myself in a deep depression and I wanted to quit acting.
"The only thing that pulled me out of that was God, my belief, my family, and an email from BAFTA telling me they wanted me to be a part of BAFTA Breakthrough Brits and it inspired me to keep going. I’m still a work in progress.
"I want to encourage young people – matter of fact you don’t even have to be young – anybody that is going through a hard time, God made you and you’re important. Let your light shine."
Letitia Wright saw her BAFTA speech as an ‘opportunity’
