Chris Noth Has A Personal Connection With Mental Health
The actor is the face of Samuelsohn, which is celebrating its centennial this year.
Chris Noth has never starred in a men's campaign before — but there's a first time for everything.
The actor, best known for his role as
Mr. Big in “Sex and the City,” is the new face of Samuelsohn's newly launched Iconics collection. The Iconics line is being introduced to celebrate the Montreal-based brand's 100th anniversary this year.
The campaign dropped during last week's Chicago Collective and Samuelsohn took over a rooftop at Gibsons steakhouse to commemorate the milestone and introduce the actor to the menswear community.
Noth said that up until now, he'd only been featured in a campaign for plus-size women models in the early 2000s. “It was fun and all the women were taller than me,” he said with a laugh. “But otherwise, I never found anything that was the right fit for me,” he said during the event.
But when he heard that Samuelsohn was not only celebrating its centennial but would also be donating a portion of the proceeds from the Iconics collection to mental health causes, he signed on.
“There are very few companies like this that last as long as they have and the philanthropic nature of what they're doing is very important to me,” he said. Noth said both his father and grandfather struggled with mental health issues after serving in wars. But because of when they lived, there was “a stigma about a man going for help. They weren't able to bridge that gap and I think they suffered immensely.”
But Noth is doing his part to bring the topic to the forefront today so other men feel comfortable enough about reaching out for support. “It's really inspiring to me that a company like Samuelsohn is bridging that gap,” he said. “Over 6 million men suffer from depression per year in the United States and through this collaboration, we aim to raise awareness, drive positive change and provide support.”
The actor donated his fee for appearing in the campaign, and together with Samuelsohn, committed to donate up to $100,000 to Mental Health America and the Canadian Mental Health Association.