Mental Health Month Spotlight: Joe Pantoliano

By Alicia Sparks

City Island New York Screening After Party

As some of you already know (I’ve talked about it before), actor Joe Pantoliano – or, Joey Pants – hit the ground running earlier this year with previews and special screenings of the documentary “No Kidding? Me Too!” and hasn’t slowed down since.

The documentary takes its name from Joey’s nonprofit organization (NKM2, for short) and both the documentary and the organization aim to shed light on and remove the stigma associated with mental illness, and Joey isn’t alone in his efforts. Other actors and actresses like fellow Soprano stars Edie Falco and Michael Imperioli, The Soloist’s Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx, and Desperate Housewives‘ Dana Delany are all working with NKM2 to help bring mental health education and awareness forward and eradicate stigma.

The NKM2 Documentary Tour (that’s not really its name, but it makes sense) will continue to hit states like California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania in the next couple of months, but if you’re not close to any of those areas you can still view the documentary’s five-minute trailer online.

NOTE: Some language might make it unsuitable for children and for viewing at work, but it’s definitely worth checking out when you can. I especially liked Joey’s intro:

“When I discovered three years ago that I was diagnosed with clinical depression, I was embarrassed, humiliated…I also came to understand that there’s a tremendous stigma surrounding any kind of brain disease. I want to make a movie about this.”

And, if you are close to any of the screenings, know that proceeds go toward mental health awareness and research through both NKM2 and the International Mental Health Research Organization (IMHRO).

Pants once told NBC’s Brian Williams –

“You cannot be anonymous with mental illness. You really have to talk, loudly, and say ‘Hey, I’ve got it, I’m functioning, my life is better for it.’”

- and, with NKM2, talking loudly is exactly what he’s been doing.