You’ve got to have faith! That’s the powerful message Prison Break star Wentworth Miller is delivering to the LGBTQ youth.
The 44-year-old, who confirmed his sexuality in 2013, opened up to the U.K.’s Attitude magazine for its 2016 Awards issue, in which he reassures anyone struggling to come out that it will get easier.
“I would say what others have said: It gets better one day, you’ll find your tribe,” he said. “You just have to trust that people are out there waiting to love you and celebrate you for who you are.”
He continued: “In the meantime, the reality is you might have to be your own tribe. You might have to be your own best friend. That’s not something they’re going to teach you in school. So start the work of loving yourself.”
As Us Weekly previously reported, Miller has struggled with depression and suicidal urges since he was young.
In a Facebook post earlier this year, he opened up to his fans about dealing with mental health issues after he became the butt of an Internet meme that fat-shamed him.
Miller admitted at the time the 2010 picture of him carrying extra weight was taken, when he was “suicidal."
He also explained how depression is “a battle that’s cost me time, opportunities, relationships and a thousand sleepless nights.”
However Miller is now determined to use his experiences to offer reassurance to others going through the same struggles as him and is considered an advocate for both mental health and gender identity issues.
Miller will be reprising his role as Michael Scofield for season 5 of Prison Break, which will return to Fox next year.