You star Victoria Pedretti gets candid about coping with ‘severe’ ADHD

Victoria Pedretti has opened up about living with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, revealing that her diagnosis came when she was aged just six.

The actress, 25 – who has become a household name thanks to roles in You, The Haunting Of Hill House and its follow-up The Haunting By Manor – has revealed that while she accepts she has the condition, she hasn’t allowed the ‘label’ to define her.

Speaking in a newly released video interview with Glamour UK, the screen star said: ‘I have ADD, and that label did not suit me, I felt.

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Victoria Pedretti has opened up about living with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, revealing that her diagnosis came when she was aged just six

‘I was six years old or seven years old and being told, “you might not ever be able to read and write well. You’re going to have a higher rate of incarceration, higher rate of drug use, higher rate of lots of medical problems. It’s going to be very hard for you to live a healthy lifestyle.” I just looked at that label and I was like, “no, that’s not me!”’

She continued: ‘I have ADD, severe ADD, whatever that means. It affects the way I live, the way I think, the way I process information or don’t process information.

‘But it was so damaging to me at that age because it didn’t do anything for how I defined myself. It only allowed other people to make assumptions and feel like they had the answers to something far more complex than ADD.

Not defined by it: The actress, 25, has revealed that while she accepts she has the condition, she hasn't allowed the 'label' to define her

Not defined by it: The actress, 25, has revealed that while she accepts she has the condition, she hasn’t allowed the ‘label’ to define her

‘People with ADD are very different. I remember going to an ADD support group of being like, “I don’t like these people,” and why should I?”

‘Those mental diagnoses, I feel like they often do so much more for the people treating you, than it does to the actual individual having an understanding and feeling empowered within their identity.’

The actress recently spoke about how she’s improved her craft in the acting realm by working more ‘efficiently’ on set while shooting The Haunting Of Bly Manor. 

Speaking to  she said: ‘I know to work more efficiently and how to interact with lights, boom, camera,’ Victoria, who is a graduate of the prestigious Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in the US, told 9Honey Celebrity.

Severe: She told Glamour UK, 'I have ADD, severe ADD, whatever that means. It affects the way I live, the way I think, the way I process information or don't process information'

Severe: She told Glamour UK, ‘I have ADD, severe ADD, whatever that means. It affects the way I live, the way I think, the way I process information or don’t process information’

‘I feel like the more you know about those things, the more you can work more intuitively and with more ease. So, I just hope I keep getting opportunities to get on set and do that.’

Victoria takes on the role of Dani Clayton in Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting Of Bly Manor, which is loosely based on the 1898 horror novella The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James.

Victoria’s character Dani is an American nanny looking after orphaned children Miles and Flora Wingrave (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Amelie Bea Smith) in 1989’s England.

Henry Wingrave (Henry Thomas) hires Dani (Pedretti) to care for his orphaned niece and nephew, following the death of their caretaker (Tahirah Sharif), who died on the grounds of their family manor in the town of Bly.

But all is not as it seems at the manor, as centuries of dark secrets of love and loss are waiting to be unearthed in this chilling Gothic romance.

Craft: The actress recently spoke about how she's improved her craft in the acting realm by working more 'efficiently' on set while shooting The Haunting Of Bly Manor. Pictured in 2018

Craft: The actress recently spoke about how she’s improved her craft in the acting realm by working more ‘efficiently’ on set while shooting The Haunting Of Bly Manor. Pictured in 2018

Learning: Victoria, who is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, said that she has learned a lot about the acting industry since season one of The Haunting Of Hill House

Learning: Victoria, who is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, said that she has learned a lot about the acting industry since season one of The Haunting Of Hill House 

With the supernatural horror also billed as a ‘love story’, Victoria addressed her working relationship with her romantic interest on the show, Amelia Eve.   

The Philadelphia native dubbed Amelia a ‘great partner’ for helping bring their characters’ ‘sweetening’ romance to life in a manner that hasn’t always been represented in mainstream media.

With The Haunting Of Bly Manor currently terrifying audiences worldwide, Victoria’s attention has turned to her filming commitments for season three of You, alongside her co-star, Penn Badgley.

Speaking about return to set, the beauty explained: ‘I don’t know what it’s gonna be like [sic]. I haven’t heard anything about the conditions of shooting, given the pandemic is still happening’.

Victoria admitted that she hoped filming would not be affected too much, as she wanted to ‘have a lot of fun’ with her co-stars in between takes.

In-demand: Victoria's attention has turned to her filming commitments for season three of You, alongside her co-star, Penn Badgley

In-demand: Victoria’s attention has turned to her filming commitments for season three of You, alongside her co-star, Penn Badgley

ABOUT ATTENTION-DEFICIT / HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioural condition defined by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

It affects around five per cent of children in the US. Some 3.6 per cent of boys and 0.85 per cent of girls suffer in the UK. 

Symptoms typically appear at an early age and become more noticeable as a child grows. These can also include:

  • Constant fidgeting 
  • Poor concentration
  • Excessive movement or talking
  • Acting without thinking
  • Little or no sense of danger 
  • Careless mistakes
  • Forgetfulness 
  • Difficulty organising tasks
  • Inability to listen or carry out instructions 

Most cases are diagnosed between six and 12 years old. Adults can also suffer, but there is less research into this.

ADHD’s exact cause is unclear but is thought to involve genetic mutations that affect a person’s brain function and structure.

Premature babies and those with epilepsy or brain damage are more at risk. 

ADHD is also linked to anxiety, depression, insomnia, Tourette’s and epilepsy.  

There is no cure. 

A combination of medication and therapy is usually recommended to relieve symptoms and make day-to-day life easier. 

Source: NHS Choices

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