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About UsAdvertiseInvestor RelationsJobsNewslettersEditionUSUKAustraliaBrasilCanadaDeutschlandIndiaJapanLatamCalifornia residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2022 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAccessibility StatementAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemapBuzzFeed NewsReporting on what you care about. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing.BuzzFeed TastySearch, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!BuzzFeed GoodfulSelf care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life.BuzzFeed Bring MeObsessed with travel? Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me!BuzzFeed As IsSomething for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity.Celebrity·Posted 6 minutes ago"Barry" Actor Anthony Carrigan Says He Was Told To Quit Acting Because Of His Alopecia
"I'm one of those people that if you told me that I can't do something, I will. Period."
by larryfitzmauriceBuzzFeed Staff
If you're not watching the HBO show Barry, you really should be — it's one of the best things on television right now.
Merrick Morton / HBO
One of the standout performances in Barry is Anthony Carrigan, who plays the hilarious and endlessly quippy gangster NoHo Hank.
Merrick Morton/HBO
Carrigan also lives with alopecia areata, a disease that causes hair loss. He was diagnosed with it at three years old, and in an interview with People he talked about how living with alopecia has affected his acting career.
Merrick Morton / HBO
Anthony says that, even though he pursued acting from a very young age, it wasn't until his twenties when his condition started to affect his career progression.
Rick Kern / Getty Images
"There was a moment where my alopecia had progressed so much so that I had lost pretty much half [of] my scalp, both my eyebrows [and] all my eyelashes," he said. "It really threw everyone that I was working with, and no one knew what to do with me."
Merrick Morton / HBO
Anthony said that people were "scratching their heads" while trying to figure out what to do with casting him — and in some instances, he was outright rejected from Hollywood types.
Araya Doheny / FilmMagic / Getty Images
"I was told by a number of people, you're not going to be able to do this," he recalled. "You're not attractive anymore. You will fail if you try to do this."
Merrick Morton / HBO
"And I'm one of those people that if you told me that I can't do something, I will. Period."
Randy Holmes / ABC via Getty Images
Anthony also opened up about living with alopecia as an actor, saying that it took a "series of baby steps" to truly accept himself.
Merrick Morton / HBO
"Talking about it was very therapeutic for me," he explained. "And even talking about it now, I'm strangely very grateful for this experience and how much it taught me about radical self-acceptance."
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Anthony said that accepting and embracing his condition also made him a "better actor."
Merrick Morton / HBO
"I wasn't hiding anymore. I wasn't hiding under wigs, or makeup, or this projected self confidence, and instead what was replaced was real confidence."
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
"We're told, you know, accept yourself, be who you are," he concluded. "But we're also in a society that's constantly telling us to change. And my take on it is: you want to feel good about yourself, and that has very little to do with what you look like. It has everything to do with expressing who you are."
Merrick Morton / HBO
Read the entire interview here.
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