What does mental health look like in one of the most cutthroat industries in the world? 

Can a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis ever be a good thing?

And must the show always go on? 

In this week’s episode, actress Nikka Graff Lanzarone talks mental stamina, why certain mental health conditions go underdiagnosed in women and the “epiphany” of being diagnosed with ADHD at 37.

“There's also like a certain amount of grieving that comes with [being diagnosed], that you're like, ‘Oh, so it didn't have to be like this my whole life. Cool.’”

Nikka also explores how her battle with depression and anxiety shaped her as a performer, and the natural therapy of dance.

“When you're dancing, you don't have to deal with any of that. All you have to do is say whatever it is you're trying to say and you don't have to talk. … I get a break from having to be myself and dealing with my s*** for two and a half hours. I get a break from me.”

For Nikka, an important facet of her acting career is something that goes hand in hand with mental health – the work she does as a labor advocate. 

“We are desperately trying to change that [‘show must go on’] culture. I'm an elected official in my union also and part of like a grassroots progressive organization that [asks], but why  … why? It doesn't have to be this way. Who said it had to be this way?”

In This Episode

• Nikka’s showbiz family and how she got her start (02:31)
• The journey to Nikka’s recent ADHD diagnosis “epiphany” (10:10)
• How ADHD affects men and women differently, and why it goes undiagnosed in many women (12:29)
• Connecting with family members who don’t have mental health conditions, and the “relief” of starting medication (14:35)
• The role of mental stamina in an emotionally and physically taxing industry (20:45)
• Nikka’s labor advocacy and the myth of “the show must go on” (28:57)
• Performance as therapy (33:11)
• The impact of COVID-19 on Broadway and Nikka’s mental health (36:03)
• Dealing with anxiety as a performer (43:39)

 

Our Guest

Actress Nikka Graff Lanzarone is a showbiz veteran with credits ranging from Velma Kelly in Broadway’s “Chicago” to hit TV shows like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Inventing Anna.” 

As a labor advocate, Nikka serves as a councilor of Actors’ Equity Association and is a delegate to the New York City Central Labor Council. She is also on the board of the Actors’ Equity Foundation and is a core member of #FairWageOnstage.

 

Resources & Links

Off The Cuff

• On YouTube
• On Apple Podcasts
• On Spotify
• On Instagram
• Danny LoPriore on Instagram

 

Nikka Graff Lanzarone

• On Twitter
• On Instagram
• On IMDb
• #FairWageOnstage

 

More On Mental Health

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
• National Helpline Database
• Why ADHD in Women is Routinely Dismissed