Mighty Ducks star Shaun Weiss says ‘life is heaven’ after harrowing addiction battle

Homeless, addicted to drugs and behind bars for burglary, Shaun Weiss’ life had hit rock bottom and couldn’t have been further away from the glitz and glamour of his young acting career.

A child star of Disney’s 1990s Mighty Ducks trilogy, the actor was set for a “nice Hollywood career” before he suffered a trio of misfortunes.

After his partner left him, his father passed away and a temporary career lull, Shaun turned to meth and heroin to “numb the pain”.

READ MORE: ‘I went from Hollywood star to homeless drug addict in months after bunch of bad things’

He exclusively told the Daily Star how he took part in “deplorable” things to survive and to fund his crippling addiction.

But now three years clean, the former Hollywood star has revealed how he turned his life around – and why his current situation is like “heaven on Earth”.

“I think a lot of people have the luxury of maybe having family around to stop them from falling too deeply down the wrong path,” he said.

“And I didn’t have that luxury.”

Back in the late 1980s, a young Shaun had captured the attention of showbiz giants.

The wise-cracking kid got into acting at the age of “five or six” and “was funny right away”, he said.

Shaun explained: “I would say to other adults, like, ‘hey, so how’s your sex life going?’

“My sisters would put me up to doing stuff and say ‘hey, go over and go over to that guy and say f***’. And I would do it and they would crack up.

“Then people saw me doing that and they were like, ‘oh my God, this kid’s a riot, you got to get him in the movie business.’”

In 1992, Shaun was slap-shotted to stardom with his performance in 1992 family comedy The Mighty Ducks, playing loveable ice hockey goalkeeper Greg Goldberg.

“It was a blast and it was such a blessing being in those movies”, he added.

After a string of Hollywood roles – including smash hits Heavyweights (1995), Freaks and Geeks (1999) and Drillbit Taylor (2008) – Shaun’s life hit skids as work began to dry up.

The star said his life was consumed by depression and he would self-medicate with drugs, eventually turning to a life of crime to afford the habit.

He revealed: “When I was getting arrested, I just ran out of money and you know, you don’t have a drug problem until you run out of money.

“Even though I’m on the other side of [addiction], I did some deplorable things and I’m at the mercy of people’s compassion.”

Shaun was thrust back into the public eye after his shocking mugshot went viral in January 2020 after being arrested in Marysville, California, for burglary while high on meth.

Seeing Shaun at rock-bottom, a group of his former co-stars – including Ben Stiller – got together to create a “touching” video, rallying him back to a life of sobriety.

The star explained: “I couldn’t believe all these people had gotten together and made that, even Ben Stiller. And yeah, it was very touching.

“And it worked because it made me feel like I was cared for.”

With the knowledge that people had his back, Shaun went back to rehab for 90 days after his prison release in March 2020 in a last-ditch attempt to get clean.

Armed with a support network, his Christian faith, yoga and employing life habits from SadhGuru, he eventually got clean.

Shaun has now been sober for three years and three months.

He recently started his new role as an ambassador and sober coach at Quest 2 Recovery, in Lancaster, California, which helped get him clean.

Now, Shaun says life is bliss, and admitted: “Whereas I never really appreciated anything before. Now I appreciate literally every single breath I take.

“Unfortunately, I had to suffer to get to this spot, but I live like my life is literally kind of like heaven on Earth now.

“Every single thing that happens to us is either meant to evolve us, or reward us.”

But he hasn’t turned his back on his career in the arts entirely.

Shaun is embarking on his first stand-up comedy tour in the US, Mighty Weiss, from June 22.

He also plans to teach other recovering addicts the art of stand-up comedy, helping them to turn “trauma into their material”.

As well as helping others overcome the vice of addiction, Shaun’s other ambition is to return to the screen.

He concluded: “Stand up is my plan to get back into acting. I’ve never found a better job than being an actor. So that’s really what I’d like to do.”

If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Talk To Frank for free, confidential advice on 0300 1236600, texting 82111 or visiting their website, www.talktofrank.com

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk