James Gunn posted a lengthy message to fans on Saturday as his latest film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, opened to huge success.
The 46-year-old filmmaker did not hold back in his Facebook post, confessing that he struggled in his youth to find himself, even considering ending his life.
“When I was young I felt utterly alone, at times to the point of suicidal thoughts,” Gunn wrote. “I never felt like I belonged, had an incredibly difficult time connecting to other people and, despite having love around me, I had an impossible time experiencing it, or taking it in.”
Through movies and music, Gunn explained he became aware there were others like him out in the world.
Related Stories
“Suddenly I could see past the bland suburbs where I lived into a more magical world, a world more aligned with what I imagined,” wrote Gunn. “Sometimes these works were simply escapist fantasies that distracted me from the difficulties of my internal life. But other times, in the strongest moments – maybe through the words of Alice Cooper or Freddie Mercury, through Cronenberg films, or even in Chewbacca’s growl, I experienced something deeper – the realization that I wasn’t completely alone.”
Gunn stressed to fans who may feel how he once felt that they are not alone.
“They’re a group of heartbroken misfits whose lives have been bereft of tenderness and connection and who have a nearly impossible time trusting themselves or others,” Gunn wrote. “But they’re learning, one step at a time. They are me. They are you. We are Groot.”
Gunn expressed his heartfelt thanks to fans around the world for flocking to theaters to see his latest film.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 shot to $56.3 million Friday for a weekend debut in the $140 million range at the North American box office.
Read Gunn’s full post below.
