Sebastian Stan has got a new movie out where he plays a man with neurofibromatosis, a skin condition which causes non-cancerous tumours to grow on nerve tissue.

In the film, Stan’s character Edward eventually gets facial reconstructive surgery to remove the tumours, but he then becomes obsessed with an actor called Oswald (Adam Pearson) who gets a job portraying him in a play.

The film just recently released and has been garnering positive reviews from critics, with it currently enjoying a 90 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Stan and A Different Man co-star Adam Pearson recently appeared on This Morning to promote the movie.

While on there, he said that the movie’s makeup artist Mike Marino had once been double booked for one of the days of filming, which meant Stan got his facial prosthetics applied hours earlier.

That meant he was able to walk around in public for a while, saying: “It was extremely isolating. I was very scared. You stand out obviously, and there’s a powerless feeling to it, at least that was my experience.”

“It really pointed out that we still have to normalise this idea of being different.”

Adam Pearson and Sebastian Stan star in A Different Man (A24)

Elsewhere in the interview, Stan said the new movie was ‘really special’ as well as being ‘unpredictable and a lot of fun’.

Pearson, who previously appeared alongside Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin, said: “There’s no suspense or jump scare, or any of the old tropes that we normally see around disfigurement, like villainy, victimhood or false heroism.

“He’s just a guy that charms his way through life.”

During a press conference for the movie Stan said: “I think ultimately it’s just interesting to hear this point, because I feel to some extent that’s one of the things the film is saying, you know, is that we have these preconceived ideas.

“We’re not really educated on how to really understand this experience.

Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson’s new movie is out now (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty)

“So I can’t really speak to that, one of the things I love about the movie is that he’s offering you a way to kind of look at it.

“Hopefully if you can have the same objective point of view while you’re experiencing the film, then maybe you can pick apart the initial instincts that you have, and maybe those aren’t always the right ones.”

Pearson added: “This was the hook that we gave to Sebastian – You don’t know what it’s like to have a disfigurement, but you do know what it’s like to not have privacy and to have your life constantly invaded. You become public property.”

A Different Man is available to watch in cinemas now.

Warning: This article contains subject matter some may find distressing

A new documentary delves into a mental health condition that affects just two percent of people.

While many of us have probably heard of the condition before, few actually know what it’s like to live with.

Now, comedian Joe Tracini had bravely opened up about his experience in the brand new doc:

On the face of it, Joe is a successful comedian and actor, known for sharing hilarious videos on social media, with hundreds of thousands of followers supporting him.

However, as he explains in the new Channel 4 doc Me and The Voice in My Head, he struggles to overcome the negative thoughts attacking him almost every second of every day.

Joe was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) a decade ago, and in recent years, he’s been open about how it has impacted his life, sharing updates with his fans on social media.

The new doc now allows cameras into Joe’s life, with the comic introducing the world to ‘Mick’, the name he has given the incessant voice in his head.

Joe Tracini has opened up about living with Borderline Personality Disorder. (Mike Marsland/WireImage)

As opposed to the common inner monologue most experience, ‘Mick’ feeds Joe incredibly negative patterns of thought, telling him that he should hurt himself and even end his own life.

Viewers see first-hand the effect these feelings have on Joe as he struggles to express himself in the way he would like while ‘Mick’ constantly undermines him.

In a bid to delve into the root cause of the condition, Joe speaks to family members about his childhood, as well as his girlfriend to see how it also impacts other people’s lives around him.

This all plays out amid the build-up to a one-man show Joe is preparing for in the hope of reigniting his comedy career.

The new doc, Me and The Voices in My Head, lets viewers into Joe’s life. (Channel 4)

Speaking ahead of the doc’s release, Joe said he was thankful to have the opportunity to let people into his life and explain what it’s like to live with BPD.

“Most films about mental illness are, ironically, depressing,” the 35-year-old said.

“I’m a lot of things, but serious is rarely one of them. I think we can all agree that it’s not the easiest time to be alive, and with things getting worse faster than I can lower my standards, I’m very grateful to Channel 4 & Hungry Bear Media for letting me tell my story my way.”

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

BPD is the most commonly recognised personality disorder, and can cause emotional instability, disturbed patterns of thinking or perception, impulsivity and intense but unstable relationships with others.

According to the NHS, there are a number of factors that can cause a person to develop BPD, with a combination of genetic and environmental forces being central.

You can find out more information about Borderline Personality Disorder here.

The son of legendary actor and comedian Robin Williams once spoke out about how his father’s misdiagnosis of Parkinson’s disease was only discovered after he’d died.

Robin Williams was misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease – a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movement such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination – two years before his death.

The globally acclaimed actor tragically died by suicide in 2014 at the age of 63.

Yesterday would have been his 73rd birthday, and his son Zak posted a tribute thanking the acclaimed star for all the people who’d told him they were helped through tough times by Robin.

He wrote: “Dad, on what would be your 73rd birthday, I remember you for all the hope and joy you brought to the world.

“There’s not a week that goes by without someone sharing with me how you helped them through a dark time or a rough patch.

“I’m so grateful and proud to be your son. Love you forever.”

Robin Williams with his son Zak. (Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

When Williams died a decade ago an autopsy revealed that he was suffering from undiagnosed Lewy body dementia (LBD), that was progressively causing Parkinson’s-type symptoms.

According to Mayo Clinic, LBD is the second-most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.

It explains: “Protein deposits called Lewy bodies develop in nerve cells in the brain. The protein deposits affect brain regions involved in thinking, memory and movement.”

There is currently no known cure or treatment to slow down the aggressive neurological disease.

Back in 2021, Zak also spoke out about the neurological disease and his dad’s medical misdiagnosis on Max Lugavere’s The Genius Life podcas, claiming it left him ‘very uncomfortable’ and ‘frustrated’ during what would be his final years.

Zak remembered: “What he was going through didn’t match one-to-one [with] many Parkinson’s patients’ experiences. So, I think that was hard for him.

The star is known for several iconic roles. (20th Century Studios)

“There was a focus issue that frustrated him, there were issues associated with how he felt, and also from a neurological perspective, he didn’t feel great. He was very uncomfortable”, he continued, adding that the incorrect medical information and medication may have ‘exacerbated the situation’.

“They’re also really hard on the mind and the body.

“The diagnosis was different than the disease so I think it could be a situation where you’re taking stuff and experiencing purely the side effects of [the drug].”

He went on to talk about how the disease and misdiagnosis prevented his father’s skill and ability to ‘perform his craft’, impacting his mental health.

“I don’t want to say it was a short period. It felt a lot longer than it actually was because it was a period for him of intense searching and frustration.

“I couldn’t help but feel beyond empathy. I couldn’t help but feel frustrated for him.

“It can be really isolating even when you’re with family and loved ones.”

The actor’s widow, Susan Schneider, wrote an essay called ‘The terrorist inside my husband’s brain’ after his death for scientific journal, Neurology.

In it, she talked about how the condition ‘had done so much damage to neurons and neurotransmitters that in effect, you could say he had chemical warfare in his brain’.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123

Despite having one of the scariest faces in film, underneath the layers of prosthetics, the actor who played Sloth in The Goonies was actually a sweetheart.

John Matuszak had to sit in the makeup chair for five hours to turn into the iconic character which hammered home the message home that we should not judge a book by its cover.

The late 38-year-old may be largely remembered for his legendary role in the 1985 movie, but he had his own whirlwind story to tell.

The actor was repeatedly struck by tragedy throughout his short time on this Earth, despite achieving success in both film and football.

So much so, that his former girlfriend dubbed him ‘a therapist’s dream’.

Matuszak, from Wisconsin, sadly lost his two brothers to cystic fibrosis – with one dying two months after birth and another dying at the age of two – when he was around 12 or 13 years old.

Just like his on-screen character in The Goonies, he was an imposing man who grew to the size of 6ft 8ins and a social outcast.

His height made him a target for bullies throughout his school years – but also gave him the motivation to transform his physique.

Matuszak hit the gym and became a muscular young man, giving him an advantage as a defensive lineman for his high school football team.

Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images

His sporting career later took off, seeing him play for the Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins, as well as the Oakland Raiders, with whom he won two Super Bowls during his 1976 to 1982 tenure.

But while football brought him a lot of success on the surface, it also brought him chronic pain, beginning with an injury that he suffered while playing in college.

This initial injury – a shoulder separation – at the University of Missouri was followed by multiple back injuries that eventually led to surgery in the early eighties.

By this point, the footballer was in so much pain that he was put on the reserve list before his ultimate retirement in 1983.

Like a lot of people with chronic pain, Matuszak resorted to self medicating with drugs and prescription medications, which resulted in addictions.

He found fame as an actor largely after his footballing career ended, with most of his film and TV credits taking place after 1982.

Some of his other memorable roles were in North Dallas Forty, Caveman, The Ice Pirates, One Crazy Summer, Ghost Writer and Down the Drain, which was his final performance and posthumously released in 1990.

During an autobiography published in the eighties, Cruisin’ With The Tooz, he admitted that he did get clean at one point.

Maximum Film

“I abstain from cocaine, and any other foreign substance, entirely now,” he wrote. “I take nothing, not even sleeping pills. I’ve hit damn near bottom. I don’t ever want to go back.”

But sadly the actor’s sobriety didn’t last and he ultimately passed away from an accidental overdose just four years after starring in The Goonies in 1985.

Marv and Audrey Matuszak, the footballer-turned-actor’s parents, said they believed his chronic pain was ultimately a major contributing factor in his death.

They said: “We are not unmindful of the problems our son had in his battle against chronic pain and his resulting use of drugs, both prescription and otherwise.”

However, his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Cozart said that he was also motivated to take drugs to help him cope with the grief of losing his brothers.

She told the LA Times in 1989: “The man was in a lot of emotional pain. He had a lot of childhood stuff to deal with.