Prince Harry.
In a new interview withTown & Countrymagazine, Porter spoke about the decision behind Harry’semotional on-camera therapy,which is documented in the five-part docuseries that was co-created withOprah Winfrey.
“Asif Kapadia was working really closely with Harry, and it was really interesting because we were working on the series for so long that we knew a lot about whatPrince Harrywas doing to maintain his mental wellness,” said Porter, who co-directed the series with Kapadia. “And when you haveOprah Winfreyand the best advisers on the planet, you get access to a lot of the best research and the best medicine.”
“Harry, he volunteered,” she added of the Duke of Sussex. “He was game for trying something. And we thought well, we have the opportunity to film this [therapy] and maybe this is something that will work for some people, maybe it won’t, but the idea is that you don’t tick a box and you’re done, mental wellness is an ongoing pursuit.”
Porter shared, “You have to continue to try new things and to push yourself, and his volunteering to try something was a great way to emphasize and underscore that point.”
In the docuseries, Harry openly talks about his upbringing in the royal family, how he takes after his late mother,Princess Diana, how he’s changed as a person since becoming a father with wifeMeghan Markle, and how much he’s grown stronger mentally after four years of working with his therapist.
According to Porter, both Harry and Oprah, 67, decided to helmThe Me You Can’t Seebecause of their “personal and deep feelings about destigmatizing conversations around mental health and mental wellness.”
“This was really important to both of them, and so they were extremely hands on,” Porter said of the pair. “We had meetings every other week. We would look at footage of different possible participants. We would talk through their stories. We would talk to what each story would bring to the series, and that also led to both of them participating. They were seeing in real time how our subjects were opening up, and then they both really opened up too, so I’m really proud of that, that they were so involved and it was such a collaborative effort for our team.”
Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey.REX/Shutterstock; Wiktor Szymanowicz/Barcroft Media
Harry said in the docuseries that Meghan, whom he married three years ago, inspired him to pursue therapy more seriously than ever after they met.
“It was meeting and being with Meghan, I knew that if I didn’t do therapy and fix myself, thatI was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with,” said Harry.
After pursuing therapy, Harry ultimately gained “one of the biggest lessons” in his life, he said in the docuseries. “You’ve sometimes got to go back and to deal with really uncomfortable situations and to be able to process it in order to be able to heal. For me, therapy has equipped me to be able to take on anything. That’s why I’m here now. That’s why my wife is here now.”
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In addition, they’ve launched new business ventures, with Netflix and Spotify, as well as expanded their platform with theirArchewell Foundation.
If you or someone you know need mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
