Goldie Hawn Recalls Becoming Anxious, Having Panic Attacks After Landing Her First Role: 'The Scariest Thing'

Mar. 15, 2025

From Left: Goldie Hawn and Hoda Kotb.Photo:TODAY/YouTube

TODAY/YouTube

As her career began to take off in the 1960s,Goldie Hawnsays she began struggling with her mental health.Right as she landed her first big role — on the short-lived 1967 sitcomGood Morning World— Hawn, now 78, “became anxious and I had little panic attacks,”she sharedon the Nov. 20th episode ofMaking Space with Hoda Kotb.Hawn said that the part had been written for her, but deep down, “I didn’t want to do that. I was a dancer.” But, she added, “I was just getting my feet wet.“Goldie Hawn (left) on the 1967 sitcom “Good Morning World.".Alamy"I called home. And I said, ‘Mommy, you’re not gonna believe this. You know, they wrote a part for me.’ And then I became anxious, and I had little panic attacks,” theDeath Becomes Herstar said. “I realized that every time I’d go into a restaurant or a place, I’d get dizzy, and I would want to go home.”“I was a happy kid … Nothing bothered me. I was joyful,” Hawn continued, sharing that as her career blossomed, “I didn’t know what happened to my joy … I tried to fake my smile. I’ll never forget that. It’s the scariest thing that has ever happened to me.”Goldie Hawn in Beverly Hills in 2024.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicWhile filming the sitcom, which ran for one season, “I had to go back to my dressing room to pull myself together because I didn’t know when another panic attack was going to happen,” she said.She then began seeing a psychologist to help her cope with her anxiety, and said she saw him for nearly a decade. “I was learning about myself,” she said. “I was learning about how to forgive, and I was learning as I grew extremely successful how to be able to manage other people’s perception of me because they didn’t know me.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.These days, Hawn said she’s learned to keep other people’s opinions in perspective. “When somebody says, ‘I love you, you’re great.’ That’s wonderful. But they don’t know me,” she said.The actress added, “And if people say, ‘Ew,’ you know, or you get bad reviews and they’re all so mean and terrible, you go, ‘Well, that was their perception. But it’s not the truth.’ ”

As her career began to take off in the 1960s,Goldie Hawnsays she began struggling with her mental health.

Right as she landed her first big role — on the short-lived 1967 sitcomGood Morning World— Hawn, now 78, “became anxious and I had little panic attacks,”she sharedon the Nov. 20th episode ofMaking Space with Hoda Kotb.

Hawn said that the part had been written for her, but deep down, “I didn’t want to do that. I was a dancer.” But, she added, “I was just getting my feet wet.”

Goldie Hawn (left) on the 1967 sitcom “Good Morning World.".Alamy

Alamy

“I called home. And I said, ‘Mommy, you’re not gonna believe this. You know, they wrote a part for me.’ And then I became anxious, and I had little panic attacks,” theDeath Becomes Herstar said. “I realized that every time I’d go into a restaurant or a place, I’d get dizzy, and I would want to go home.”

“I was a happy kid … Nothing bothered me. I was joyful,” Hawn continued, sharing that as her career blossomed, “I didn’t know what happened to my joy … I tried to fake my smile. I’ll never forget that. It’s the scariest thing that has ever happened to me.”

Goldie Hawn in Beverly Hills in 2024.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

While filming the sitcom, which ran for one season, “I had to go back to my dressing room to pull myself together because I didn’t know when another panic attack was going to happen,” she said.

She then began seeing a psychologist to help her cope with her anxiety, and said she saw him for nearly a decade. “I was learning about myself,” she said. “I was learning about how to forgive, and I was learning as I grew extremely successful how to be able to manage other people’s perception of me because they didn’t know me.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

These days, Hawn said she’s learned to keep other people’s opinions in perspective. “When somebody says, ‘I love you, you’re great.’ That’s wonderful. But they don’t know me,” she said.

The actress added, “And if people say, ‘Ew,’ you know, or you get bad reviews and they’re all so mean and terrible, you go, ‘Well, that was their perception. But it’s not the truth.’ ”

source: people.com