Disney Child Actor Says Discovering Photography Helped Him Cope With Depression

The Disney Channel production “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” made him a household name while barely a teenager. Now an avid photographer, having shot talent such as Sam Smith and Sophie Turner for magazine covers, Cole Sprouse cites photography as his outlet for coping with depression.

For many, it’s not always straightforward to separate an actor from the character they play on screen. Comedy actors, for example, we expect to always be lively, upbeat, and funny in their day to day life, which makes it all the more surprising when we hear someone so successful has been suffering from depression.

Unlike other celebrities trying their hand at photography, Sprouse’s work feels authentic, and his enthusiasm for it genuine. In fact, he seems to have largely ditched the selfies from his Instagram page in favor of posting his work.

There’s no denying some of our best work comes from, and is inspired by, negative feelings. “I really used it as an outlet as a way to to create, and feel better, and it took off,” Sprouse said in a recent interview. “Most of my work took place in a landscape, and there was something profoundly serene about those landscapes, and I sort of used those adventures as an attempt to separate from not just the virtual world, but a world I felt paranoid was watching me.”

He goes on to explain that he was “sad and in a dark place,” which photography helped remove him from. And it seems to be working wonders for his motivation; He bagged some of his recent jobs by walking into the Conde Nast offices and asking upfront “Hey, can I work here?”

Check out some more of Sprouse’s work below. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Watch his full interview with Duan Mackenzie on YouTube.

Lead image by Quintin Gellar.

[via Teen Vogue]