Oliver Hudson Talks About Struggles with Anxiety (Exclusive)

Oliver Hudson is opening up about his mental health and his hit show “The Cleaning Lady” in a new interview with “Extra’s” Billy Bush.

Oliver is active on social media, telling Billy, “Honestly, it's a platform where I can be myself. This is really who I am, and that’s what is fun about it for me… and I get to be stupid and there's no rhyme or reason for it. I’m like, ‘Okay, I'll post that.’”

His posts also include his struggles with anxiety. Oliver explained, “It was more of a generalized anxiety starting in my twenties, crazy bouts of anxiety, and then 10 years ago, five years ago, and just this last summer prior was gnarly.”

Hudson explained, “I went off Lexapro because I'm like, ‘I'm good, I don’t need in anymore.’ Turns out, I weaned off properly, but for whatever reason my chemistry just got twisted and I just fell down man. It was really hardcore. Waking up feeling this gloom, can’t breathe, trying to raise kids, and putting on a face… then my son went through anxiety after I came out of it… Being able to talk to him about… I was able to put him at ease… Now he is good.

Billy asked, “Did you return to medication?” Oliver replied, “I did. I went back on Lexapro. What happened was, I'm going, ‘I’m gonna fight this because I have a battle spirit…’ and then I get an offer for ‘The Cleaning Lady,’ and I'm like, ‘Uh-oh, I have to be straight for this. I can’t go into this job with my mind completely lost.’ I went back on… and now we’re good.”

Hudson went on, “The stigma you know… The word anti-depressant can cause you to think… ‘Oh, man… the word ‘antidepressant’ just sounds bad… How about ‘happy pill’?”

In “The Cleaning Lady,” Oliver plays an FBI agent trying to help an immigrant doctor stuck cleaning houses in the U.S. The doctor gets caught up with some very dangerous drug dealers.

Telling Billy about his character, he said, “He's a different kind of FBI guy. He's not suit-and-tie. He's not buttoned-up, operates in the gray areas, you know what I mean. That’s what I like about him.”

Billy commented, “We’re dealing with immigration issues — lots of social and cultural issues are in this show.”

Hudson explained, “They're not hammering you over the head with it… This is just trying to show you the reality of some of the things that undocumented people go through.”

Talking about Season 2, he said, “Now we’re moving more into the ‘Breaking Bad’ territory… ‘Can she use bad for good?’”