The Weight of Gold
Depression doesn’t care how many medals you won, how much money you have, or how tough you think you are. Proud to announce a new documentary film project we have been working on over the last few years called The Weight of Gold premiering tonight on HBO.
Three years ago my dear college friend Jeremy Bloom called and asked if I would get involved with funding a documentary film project he and Michael Phelps were producing with the fantastically talented Emmy Award winning director Brett Rapkin.
The goal of the film was to reduce the stigma by shining the light on just how big of a problem mental health, depression, and suicide is for Olympic athletes. At the time I could have never imagined that it would premiere on HBO.
It has turned into a truly wonderful film that I think you will enjoy and learn a lot from featuring many of the biggest names in Olympic athletics including Bode Miller, Shaun White, Apolo Anton Ohno, Lolo Jones, Gracee Gold, Sasha Cohen, and more.
As former athletes Brit and I are proud to have supported this work through our foundation Sunrise. Watch it tonight at 6PST on HBO, and starting tomorrow stream it on HBO Max.
Spread the word. You are #notalone.
From the producers
In a typical year, more than 3.6 billion people globally tune in to watch the Olympic Games. What most of these viewers don’t know is that just like one in five Americans, many of these Olympic athletes similarly face serious mental health challenges and struggle to find the necessary support and resources.
The Weight of Gold seeks to inspire discussion about mental health issues, encourage people to seek help, and highlight the need for readily available support. It features accounts from Olympic athletes who share their own struggles with mental health issues, including Michael Phelps, Jeremy Bloom, Lolo Jones, Gracie Gold, Bode Miller, Shaun White, Sasha Cohen, David Boudia, Katie Uhlaender, and, posthumously, Steven Holcomb and Jeret “Speedy” Peterson (via his mother, Linda Peterson).
The Weight of Gold is directed by Brett Rapkin; executive-produced by Michael Phelps, Brett Rapkin, Peter Carlisle and Michael O’Hara Lynch plus executive producers for HBO Peter Nelson and Bentley Weiner; produced by Ellyn Vander Wyden and supervising producer, Jonathan Crystal; edited by James Pilott; narrated by Michael Phelps; with music composed by Simon TaufiQue.
