Wentworth Miller's Humbling Response to Fat-Shaming Meme

"Like a dandelion up through the pavement, I persist."

By Nicole Carpenter

A photo of Wentworth Miller, who plays Captain Cold on DC Comics' Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash, went viral recently for all the wrong reasons -- and Miller had a touching response to it.

The meme compares two photos of Miller—one shirtless from the actor's run on Prison Break, and another, from years later. It's captioned with "When you break out of prison and find out about McDonald's monopoly." In a heartfelt post on Miller's Facebook page, the actor explained the photo.

Wentworth Miller

In 2010, when the actor had "semi-retired" from acting, Miller found himself in the "lowest point in [his] adult life." During that time, he turned to food for comfort. "There were stretches when the highlight of my week was a favorite meal and a new episode of Top Chef," he said. "Sometimes that was enough. Had to be." And because of it, he put on weight.

The photo of Miller in the red shirt was taken in 2010, when the actor was on a hike with a friend. He was "fighting for [his] mental health," and the backlash from the photo was the "last thing [he] needed." However, he survived, and so did those photos.

"Now, when I see that image of me in my red t-shirt, a rare smile on my face, I am reminded of my struggle. My endurance and my perseverance in the face of all kinds of demons. Some within. Some without," he said. "Like a dandelion up through the pavement, I persist."

"The first time I saw this meme pop up in my social media feed, I have to admit, it hurt to breathe," Miller said. "But as with everything in life, I get to assign meaning. And the meaning I assign to this/my image is strength. Healing. Forgiveness."

And for Miller's fans who may currently be struggling, the actor posted a few resources available to help.

Miller can be seen as Captain Cold on DC's Legends of Tomorrow, which debuted in January on the CW. The actor will also reprise his role on Prison Break, which will return sometime during the 2016-2017 season.

Nicole is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter.

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