EXCLUSIVE: Troian Bellisario on Husband Patrick J. Adams' Reaction to Her New Film 'Feed': 'He Was Worried'
Troian Bellisario knew she had to share her experience with her eating disorder with the world through her new film, Feed -- but as hard as it was for her to revisit her painful past, it may have been even tougher for her husband.
ET's Kristen Gill sat down with the 31-year-old actress at the Feed press day in Los Angeles on Monday, where she opened up about why her passion project was so "difficult" for Patrick J. Adams to support.
"It was challenging [for him]," Bellisario explained. "He met me right after I wrote this film. He didn't know me then, so when he read it, he said, 'The illness is very upsetting, and I don't know if I really want to support you walking back into it.'"
"Then ultimately, and in having the conversation with him, [he said], 'If this is something that we can create a conversation around and I can help, OK... but I just want to let you know that I'm going to hold your hand in the fire, but when you walk back out of this, you're coming back to me,'" she recalled. "'You're reinvesting in your health. I'm not going to see you put yourself through this, only to fall back into it again.'"
Bellisario, who struggled with an eating disorder throughout high school, lost weight to prepare for her role in Feed, which she wrote, produced and starred in. The actress worked with a doctor to monitor her health through filming, but said that while she hopes the movie "resonates" with an audience, people struggling with eating disorders should "seriously consider whether you want to watch, because there are going to be triggering aspects." She encourages others, however, to seek treatment or educational resources through the National Eating Disorder Association's website and toll-free hotline.
Though things got personal for Bellisario, who found herself wondering if she went "far enough in order to honor somebody who is struggling with this, to try to present the physical manifestation of it," Adams was by her side to keep a watchful eye.
"He was really supportive in the way that he was like, really watching me," Bellisario said. "[He was] really protective of me."
The Pretty Little Liars star and Adams tied the knot on Dec. 10, and after seven months of marriage, Bellisario said their relationship has definitely changed.
"It's really interesting in that, being in a long distance relationship, we didn't get to spend a lot of time consistently with each other. A lot of our relationship was in absentia. It was a lot of emails, texts and 'I love you,' but we were really independent people," she said of their romance before walking down the aisle. "I think now, the wonderful thing is learning how to be together, and learning that we like it -- which is quite a relief!"
EXCLUSIVE: Troian Bellisario and Patrick J. Adams Talk Their First Red Carpet as a Married Couple
"It's learning how to be vulnerable with somebody and say, 'Oh you're here, so I can openly need you,'" she explained, adding that the two have yet to double date with Adams' Suits co-star, Meghan Markle, and her boyfriend, Prince Harry. "I've not even been up to Toronto, but I'm really thrilled that they seem very happy together."
While Adams and Bellisario are learning how to be there for each other in serious moments, they also have no problem keeping it light -- as the actress revealed that her husband has been teasing her about Harry Potter since she cast Tom Felton to play her twin brother in Feed.
"My husband tries to joke with me because he knows nothing about Harry Potter," laughed Bellisario, who guessed she'd be a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts. "He's like, 'You're a Hufflepuff!' and I'm like, 'Stop! You can't say that! You don't even know!'"
Feed is now available on VOD and other digital platforms.
See more on the film in the video below.