New PSAs From True Blood For “It Gets Better”:

This third article is again courtesy of True Blood’s official YouTube page. Joe Manganiello (Alcide Herveaux), Janina Gavankar (Luna), Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica), and Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte) made “It Gets Better” PSAs for The Trevor Project. In these PSAs they talk about their personal experiences with bullying.

Joe Manganiello talks about being picked on as a kid because he was bigger than the others, but unwilling to use his size as a reason to bully, just because he could. He got picked on for his big ears, which caused his parents to allow his hair to grow longer, in an attempt to cover them up. As a result, the kids started calling him “’Froey Joey”. In high school he stuck up for the kids that were being bullied.

He says:

“I made it my business to stick up for those kids and try to help those kids out, and be a friend to those kids.”

Janina Gavankar was verbally bullied in high school. She says that the kids never said things to her personally, but she found out things were being said about her.  She assures us:

“If you’re gay, straight, artistic, busier than everybody else because you actually have a life and something interesting to think about besides the gossip, and they hate ya for it… that’s OK. I know what all of those girls are doing now. And I’m ok. It gets better. Trust.”

Deborah Ann Woll talks about one incident in school where someone left a note in her locker that said, “Why don’t you just kill yourself because nobody likes you”. It may have been a quote from a movie at the time, but she did not find it amusing. She would get calls in the middle of the night, with people saying mean things. Her poor mother was affected by this, too. They both went through a lot, together. Deborah says all she remembers is wanting to be an actor. She says her dream is what got her through it all, and,

“Despite all of those instances where people made me feel less than, I now have a better understanding of humanity, in a way. I can now be a friend to the lonely. So just remember that it gets better.”

Sam Trammell talks directly to people who are being bullied or contemplating suicide because of being bullied. He says the people who bully others do so because they’re insecure and going through the same difficult times you are, and are acting out. He explains:

“They do not represent the real world outside of school that you’re so quickly moving into. Life moves so fast and if you can just get past this little bump, you’ll see that you’re going to be celebrated for your differences and your uniqueness. You’ll be loved for them. You’re not alone, there’s a great community out there that’s waiting to embrace and love you for who you are. Teenage bullies are not what the world is made of… Please don’t let the senseless actions of a bully take you from us. It gets so much better.”

Truebies, if you feel picked on or alone and need help, please call 1-866-4-U-TREVOR or visit TheTrevorProject.org or GLSEN.org.

Source: True Blood official YouTube page

(Photo credit: It Gets Better Project via JaninaGavankar.com.)