Actor Jon Bernthal Opens Up on Coeliac Diagnosis: “It’s No Joke”
One of Hollywood’s biggest names reveals that he’s struggled with coeliac disease behind the scenes for years. Image Credit: Variety
It’s no mistake why Jon Bernthal is typecast in Hollywood as the tough guy you don’t want to meet down a dark alley. The 49-year old Washington D.C. native has developed an uncompromising, unshakable persona, cast in roles that combine a fearlessness and intimidation that perfectly complements the scene. This is for good reason too, with fiction often reflecting the real life character. Just ask his opinion on people who dare to take a nap during the day.
Yet, the star of The Walking Dead, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Punisher shocked many when he revealed that behind the scenes, in spite of his on and off-screen reputation, he’s struggled with coeliac disease and adapting to a gluten free diet.
Bernthal happens to be quite at home expressing opinions and sharing vulnerabilities, with his podcast Real Ones giving a platform for great insights with special guests that venture beyond the entertainment industry. However, his recent revelation does speak to an underlying truth that perception doesn’t always equal reality. No matter how brave a face we present or how bulletproof we believe we are, some imperfections are inescapable.
“(Coeliac) Plagued Me, I Thought That Was Just Life”
Speaking on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast Dinner’s on Me, Bernthal opened up about his desire to take big career swings since his move to broadway with the stage adaptation of Dog Day Afternoon. Enjoying some gluten free pancakes and avocado toast at a nearby cafe, the actor explained that his real life behind the scenes doesn’t always match with his hyper-masculine image, especially when it comes to one area in particular.
“I don’t touch it now. I follow it, I’m very strict about it. It’s no joke.”
“I have coeliac disease man,” Bernthal told Ferguson. “For the beginning part of my life, the bathroom was an emergency situation. It plagued me. My whole life, I thought ‘that was just life…’ When I went to Russia after I got back (from filming) I had my blood test and they told me I had this thing called coeliac disease. It’s a whole thing, I get allergic to (gluten). I get skin reactions if I touch it.”
Podcast host Ferguson, a star of his own as part of the Modern Family cast, was taken aback by the revelation. Despite knowing each other for years within the industry, like many other viewers and listeners, he had no idea this was the case.
“You Think I’m Gonna Stop Eating Sandwiches and Drinking Beer? Go F*** Yourself!”
What made the situation all the more challenging for Bernthal, irrespective of his privileged position, was a need to push back against a macho culture that rejected these kinds of vulnerabilities. This went beyond societal attitudes, as he outlined even members of his own family weren’t much of a help, and he went along with this denial during the early stages.
“Think about my brothers making fun of me for that,” he recalled. “You decide to be an actor, then you’re like ‘Can I get gluten free at every f***ing restaurant?’ This doctor told me that when I got back, and I was like, ‘You think I’m gonna stop eating sandwiches and drinking beer? Go f*** yourself.”
That stubborn denial of reality had its expected consequences, creating an uncomfortable experience every time he went out to eat. “For ten years man, I was tearing through restaurants and knocking people over, and that’s just what I thought going to the bathroom was.”
“‘Let me cook you all your meals gluten free and you can just try it.’ Literally it changed my life.”
Of course, it would be his mother whose helping hand changed his approach forever. Remembering his time on stage, a different scenery and parental support allowed him to see what a gluten free diet was all about.
“I came to New York to audition for a play,” said Bernthal. “I had a callback two weeks later and I lived with my mum in DC for those two weeks. She was like ‘let me cook you all your meals gluten free and you can just try it.’ Literally it changed my life. I don’t touch it now. I follow it, I’m very strict about it. It’s no joke.”
The Bear star is far from the first celebrity to announce a coeliac diagnosis or adherence to a gluten free diet. With this being said, the list of high profile public figures who are at the actor’s level of stardom to openly discuss the topic is a rare commodity.
While we push for greater visibility and social advocacy around the world, these insightful revelations do matter, particularly when you consider how easy is to be exposed to serious misinformation or jokes at the expense of comedians attempting to turn the issue into a cheap punchline.
Bernthal’s career, on the other hand, continues to scale greater heights and is anything but a joke. You will see him reprise his role as Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as well as Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey later this year.
