Tyler Blackburn opens up about his mental health. Image Source: Teen Vogue
Tyler Blackburn opens up about his mental health.
Actor Tyler Blackburn, who is famously known as Caleb Rivers from Pretty Little Liars, has recently opened up about his current mental health and why he decided to skip a couple of episodes of season four ‘Rosewell, New Mexico', in which he stars as Alex Manes, a gay war veteran and amputee. Tyler Blackburn has stopped appearing on the show since mid-June and only appeared in the premiere episode of season four.
Using social media, Tyler Blackburn announced Alex's survival and expressed gratitude to the show's creators, cast, and crew for their support during this trying time. Michael Vlamis and the exceptional Heather Hemmens received particular recognition for their incredible inventiveness, professionalism, and patience. The actor claimed that between seasons three and four, he was dealing with serious health problems that occasionally resulted in serious mental health problems. As a result, he had to make the decision to stop filming season four.
Tyler Blackburn continued by saying that everyone on the program, as well as The CW and Warner Bros., have been sympathetic and understanding of his predicament. He continued by expressing his eternal gratitude to the show's producers. The Pretty Little Liars alum revealed in a lengthy statement and two bookended mirror pictures on Instagram in May that he had suffered from his physical condition. He added that it's about embracing your body in whatever form and added that his friend had informed him that he didn't know how much he battle with that. Tyler mentioned that his friend explained to him that his self-abuse is poisonous to the extent that it is and mentioned that within the previous eight months, he has undergone significant spine surgery, suffered a serious back injury, and was completely unable to exercise.
Tyler Blackburn mentioned in his post that he needed to begin showing the love and apprciation that his body possesses and is looking forward to taking steps towards a healthy and better life along with working towards the shape he wants to be in. The actor concluded that everything is beautiful; we only need to recognize it as such.
He reflected upon the filming of season four back in May and mentioned that stepping into the shoes of Alex Manes had been a transformative choice for him in many ways and had helped him in many ways as it has helped him to open his mind and soul to what he could love and stated that Alex’s story helped a lot of people out there and for that he is immensely honored. Tyler added that the chapter is closing, but he knows that the impact Rosewell made on the world is going to live on.
Tyler Blackburn made his comeback on the show on the 50th episode, which is the eleventh episode of season four, and Heather Hemmens, who directed the episode, said the moment was a long time in the making and it was an honor to be behind the camera to watch and direct the moment transpire for Malex (Alex and Michael) and added that to witness the moment culminate at the moment in her episode was such an honor for her.
Heather further said that since they haven't seen each other in a while and the anguish of not being able to be together is so great, they said that they truly wanted to have that connection as if these two characters had never been apart. She firmly feels that their connection and closeness to one another are what they conveyed in this scenario. The director remarked that it had to appear as though they had not missed a beat throughout their time apart and added that she thought their desire to be married as soon as they are reunited only served to further prove their real love and care for one another. It unmistakably shows how emotionally compatible these two are.
Hemmens said that she believes that one of the main reasons Alex wants to marry Michael right immediately is because he doesn't know if he's going to be healthy or not. Alex has gone through a lot in the liminal zone and will have some battle wounds to show for it. Therefore, it serves as inspiration for the project. Alex's health is obviously a concern because it makes for compelling entertainment and anyone can pass away at any time. She would, however, assert that it serves more as a spark than an epilogue for Alex.
Tyler Blackburn talked about being bisexual in an interview with The Advocate in 2019. Blackburn claimed that despite having an underlying curiosity towards males, bisexual stereotypes prevented him from accepting his genuine nature. During the interview, he stated that he had identified as bisexual since he was a teenager and added that he has heard several statements from members of the gay community about bisexuality being a bully, a cop-out, or a simple solution, which left an impression on him.
Tyler explained that he felt pressure from all sides to understand his sexuality, which he did when the successful and well-liked ABC show Pretty Little Liars ended in 2017 after seven seasons. One of the most adored characters was the actor's portrayal of Caleb Rivers, who was Ashley Benson's love interest and also happened to be Tyler's close buddy. Tyler stated during the interview that he is so sick of worrying so much and just wants to live his truth and feel good about falling in love and falling in love with himself. Tyler revealed during the interview that he is bisexual.
Tyler Blackburn spoke to Playboy in 2019 and disclosed that although he had his first meaningful relationship with a guy while he was on the show, he had expressed his bisexuality with some of the PLL cast. However, he had frequently felt that he couldn't share the news with everyone, which caused him to become somewhat reclusive. Despite the relationship's failure, Tyler went on to date other individuals.
The CW: Roswell, New Mexico premiers Mondays, 8/7c on The CW.
