In 2012, Adam Deacon was on top of the world — his directorial debut Anuvahood being a surprise smash hit, and he beat Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth to win that year’s BAFTA Rising Star Award. But the following years saw him suffer through a number of personal issues, being hospitalised for mental health issues after being arrested for brandishing a sword in publish, and also being convicted of Harassment without violence following his high profile falling out with Noel Clarke.
The good news is that he appears to be getting things back together. The Evening Standard has published a big interview with him today to promote his appearance in the Channel 5 show Suspects, where he speaks frankly about his troubles. He says that he has been diagnosed as biopolar, and has stopped smoking weed.
He spoke candidly about the incident that ended with him pulling a sword on someone who he believed was trespassing:
It all seemed like one big blur. I remember coming out of my flat and I remember getting into an altercation with someone but I can’t remember actually pulling out the knife. It was just really…surreal. I was doing things out of character and it just wasn’t me. That’s what I really want to put across. I would never normally do [these] things but I just wasn’t well at the time.
On being hospitalised following his arrest:
I think someone had to step in. I was doing things that were out of character and something had to be stopped. I take my hat off to the NHS because they got me better. I will never do those things again. I’m back to being Adam.
On how his relationship with Noel Clarke broke down, after they fail out over Anuvahood:
I wanted to handle it the best way I could, to reach out and say, ‘Look, let’s stop this.’ I tried everything — going through agents, mutual friends — but no one would pick up their phone. There was just a total blank. A wall.
On his harassment of Clarke on social media:
I never thought I had any sort of anger issue but I just flipped. I feel I handled it the wrong way. I didn’t want to scare anyone. That was never my motive.
You can read the whole interview here.
