Chris Rock has therapy to combat the insecurity he feels when comparing his work to other people’s.
Chris Rock has therapy to combat his insecurity.
The 61-year-old comic doesn’t have doubts about his own “status” but he can’t help but feel anxious when he looks at the work of other stars.
He told The New York Times newspaper: “I’ve been doing a lot of therapy the last few years, post-Covid, and a lot of it is about not feeling insecure. A lot of it is about ‘you’re enough.’
“But I don’t ever really feel insecure about my ‘status’, per se.
“Occasionally I’ll meet people that are obviously working harder than me and that’ll make me feel insecure. Adam Sandler, Rick Rubin. You’re like, ‘How many things are you doing right now?’
“And some people are better with their kids than me. I think I’m a good dad.”
The Misty Green actor believes all “good” artists have struggles with their self-esteem.
He said: “All artists have self-esteem questions, especially the good ones. An artist is an egomaniac with an inferiority complex. I would absolutely fall into that. ‘I am great. I hope they notice.’ So, yeah, I can feel that way.
“Eddie Murphy makes me feel like that. In the presence of Eddie Murphy, I can get a little insecure.”
Chris – who has Lola, 24, and Zahra, 22, with ex-wife Malaak Compton-Rock – believes therapy has helped make him become a more “empathetic” person.
Discussing his film work, he said: “Saying there are stark differences between men and women is a perfect device for comedy. It doesn’t work in a drama.
“I’ll say this: Part of all this therapy is developing empathy and really being able to get inside of another character.
“So the last four or five years, I’m a way more empathetic person. It also helps that my daughters are like grown-ups, so I really watch women around my house.
“My daughters don’t forgive my sins, but they give me an education that I wouldn’t normally have.”
The Top Five actor and director took stock of his life and his choices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked why it had taken 12 years to return to directing, he said: “Life, COVID, I got divorced, which meant I had to make real money. Maybe I had some other scripts that the market didn’t respond to. It’s not like I was sitting around. But COVID was a time to be like, OK, what am I doing with my life?
“And other s*** I don’t feel like talking about. I had a lot of stuff going on the last 12 years.”
Chris Rock turns to therapy to help with insecurity
