Faye Dunaway Discusses Bipolar Diagnosis and How Her Documentary Helped

Faye Dunaway’s career has experienced numerous highs and lows. She has won an Academy Award, an Emmy, three Golden Globes, and a BAFTA, and has starred in classic films such as “Chinatown,” “Network,” and “Bonnie and Clyde.” Despite these successes, she has also been known for her contentious behavior on film sets. Her reputation became particularly notorious after she portrayed Joan Crawford in the cult hit “Mommie Dearest” and resurfaced again during the 2017 Oscar mishap where she, alongside Warren Beatty, incorrectly announced “La La Land” as the Best Picture winner instead of the actual recipient, “Moonlight.”

This past July, HBO released the documentary “Faye,” which aims to explore the root of Dunaway’s perceived “difficult” personality. In a recent interview with The Independent, Dunaway opened up about the process of delving into her life and unveiling parts of herself she had previously kept hidden.

“I actually have, we might as well say, a bipolar diagnosis,” Dunaway revealed, a fact heavily featured in “Faye.” She explained how her mood swings seem interconnected with her acting ability. “The mania we tap into, and the sadness, of course… I don’t know how all that works exactly but I understand that I need all of that to use in my craft,” Dunaway explained. “It has been a difficulty, of course, as a person sometimes. It’s something I’ve had to deal with and overcome and understand. It is something that is part of who I am, and that now I can understand and deal with much more.”

When asked if sharing her diagnosis on camera had a cathartic effect, Dunaway responded, “Cathartic is a good word. It was. To look at it all and see what it added up to. It was difficult sometimes, because it is very private to me. I was a bit wary at seeing it all out there, but that’s the process — it’s the whole point of the film, the sharing of who I am. I dug deep!”

Some might argue that the peak of Dunaway’s career—a period marked by double standards and male chauvinism in the entertainment industry—intensified her mental health struggles, but Dunaway does not blame her circumstances.

“There are ups and downs,” she remarked to The Independent. “A career is a canvas. There are wonderful things. Then there are things that are less wonderful.”

“Faye” is now available to stream on Max.

Source: The Independent