Each episode of Stress Test, created by Adam Cook and Daniel AM Rosenberg, follows Fernandez-Stoll as he attempts to identify stressors in his life and test out solutions.TVO/Supplied
You might recognize comedian and actor Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll from one of his more than 100 film and television credits. With roles in Matt Johnson’s BlackBerry, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla and a recurring part in the CBS sitcom Ghosts, he’s an in-demand artist.
Between gigs, the 43-year-old is creating viral videos, collaborating on music with bands including Dwayne Gretzky or performing live comedy shows.
“I consider myself the type of person who’s just always e-mailing, always trying to get stuff done, and make work for myself,” Fernandez-Stoll said.
Yet despite his momentum and successful career, the Toronto-based actor found himself struggling so much that it was affecting his physical and mental health. He started to have panic attacks.
That’s the jumping-off point for the new six-part documentary series Stress Test, which recently premiered on TVO. Each episode of the series, created by Adam Cook and Daniel AM Rosenberg, follows Fernandez-Stoll as he attempts to identify stressors in his life and test out solutions.
An episode on relationships sees the artist and his partner and frequent comedic collaborator, Gwynne Phillips, attempt to learn Thai massage and visit a couples counsellor for somatic therapy. Another follows Fernandez-Stoll as he confronts challenges with financial literacy and gets a crash course in economics.
While the tone of the series is light and comedic, the host comes at each situation with a genuine vulnerability, approaching the expert interviews and situations with a desire to learn and improve. The Globe and Mail recently caught up with Fernandez-Stoll to chat about Stress Test, mental health and lasting lessons he learned from the series.
An episode on relationships sees the artist and his partner and frequent comedic collaborator, Gwynne Phillips, attempt to learn Thai massage and visit a couples counsellor for somatic therapy.TVO/Supplied
Where did the idea for this show come from?
I told the show’s co-creators a story about how I lost all my hair due to stress. I was doing a musical at the Randolph Theatre, about eight shows a week. I got to the point where my hair started falling out. It’s frustrating when the doctors say, “We don’t know what this is. It could be stress. It could be genetics.” You start to get into that hole where you’re trying everything. Maybe I need to meditate. Maybe I need to chill out. Maybe I need to take certain steroids. We talked about that experience, and they thought, it would be cool to do a show revolving around someone like this, and maybe help people that are dealing with that kind of stress.
In the pilot episode of the series, it mentions that you’d been experiencing panic attacks.
I was just getting a heavy dose of panic attacks every now and then. Numbness. A kind of dream-like state. My arm would start shaking. For a long time I didn’t really know what was going on. I thought maybe I needed to drink more water. That’s an example of what we tell ourselves when we’re fighting against those signs – when our body’s telling us we’re in overdrive and we’re overwhelmed.
You visit a lot of experts and try out ways to relieve stress throughout the series. Do you think you would have sought out that kind of help without the show?
That’s why I said yes to the series. I’ve gone through life – especially in my 20s and 30s – just kind of going for it, taking risks. Not really thinking of the consequences. A lot of the people I know who are financially stable or in a somewhat less stressful state, they prepare. I don’t do that. I wouldn’t have done any of this stuff on my own. I’m more aware of what is causing my stress – definitely not as stressed as I was before the show.
Was there one kind of specialist or activity that was the most impactful? Anything you felt wasn’t worth it?
I felt biohacking wasn’t for me. Felt pretty expensive for stuff with no scientific backup.
Stretching in the morning really does help so much with how your body takes care of stress, how you’re cramped up. It’s something so simple that I didn’t start doing until this year. Little things like that are really helping me a lot.
But the relationship episode with the intimacy coach stands out. That specific session was great because she made us do this exercise. My partner Gwynne and I just looked into each other’s eyes. I did think it was silly in the beginning. I was sitting there and in the first five to 10 seconds thinking, all right, is this done yet? What are we doing? Can we move on? But once you give your mind a little bit of time to kind of slow down you’re really giving that person your full attention.
When I was looking into Gwynne’s eyes, it’s as if I went into a portal where I was looking at every single moment with her. I would recommend every single couple do this. Even try it with a family member. You just sit there and appreciate that person without having to say anything. The entire point was to say everything with nothing. You’re just giving them your full attention. That presence is something that’s so hard for me. Maybe that’s a sign that we shouldn’t be on our phones as much.
This interview has been edited and condensed.