'Hunting Wives' star Brittany Snow explains why she left Hollywood at 23: 'My life depended on it'

Brittany Snow says stepping away from Hollywood saved her life.

In an interview with Self magazine for the cover of their November issue, the 39-year-old actress opened up about leaving her career as an actress behind at 23 years old, explaining, "My life depended on it."

She had a successful career as an actress, starring in films such as "The Pacifier" and "Hairspray," as well as TV shows, including "Guiding Light" and "American Dream." But behind the scenes, she was dealing with an eating disorder.

"I mean, there was no way that I would still be here, and I’m trying not to be hyperbolic," she said about her decision to leave the business.

Brittany Snow spoke about her decision to leave Hollywood and enter rehab for an eating disorder. (Pat Martin)

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Snow first entered rehab at 19 years old but left early to film "John Tucker Must Die," and she first opened up about her secret battle in an essay published in People magazine in 2007, "My Nine-Year Struggle With Anorexia."

She recalled her second stay in rehab as a scary time, explaining one of the girls there threatened to sell Snow's story to the media. She then left rehab, and with the support of her parents, began an outpatient program for a year, which she explained involved individual therapy, classes, meetings and mandatory check-ins with the program's director.

Snow first went to rehab when she was 19 but left early to shoot a film. (Pat Martin)

"I mean, there was no way that I would still be here, and I’m trying not to be hyperbolic."

"In rehab, I found there was a lot of relying on the fact that you’re in walls, you’re in a place," she said. "You’re not going out to dinner, you’re not having to order at a restaurant, you’re not having to be with your friends when they're all having ice cream and drinking.

"I think rewiring my brain where I could count on myself and I could trust myself, I could be in a space and feel like I wasn’t going to do something harmful to myself, was the best thing that ever could have happened to my recovery."

Snow recalled going to rehab for a second time and then finding success in an outpatient program. (Pat Martin)

Her first big role back in Hollywood was in the 2012 film, "Pitch Perfect," saying "that movie was really special to me." She felt grateful to be on set every day "because I didn’t think I was ever going to work again."

Most recently, Snow starred in the smash Netflix hit "The Hunting Wives," playing Sophie, who moved from Chicago to a small town in Texas and finds herself drawn to Margo, played by Malin Akerman. Their friendship quickly turns into a sexual relationship, leading to several intimate scenes between Akerman and Snow.

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Snow's first big movie back in Hollywood was "Pitch Perfect" in 2012. (Pat Martin)

Despite her history with an eating disorder, Snow says she isn't thinking of her body when filming nude scenes, saying, "People would talk about that sort of recovery," but she never saw it for herself.

"I’ve found a lot of men in sex scenes are really, really focused on themselves and how they look and if their abs are looking great and not necessarily thinking about your experience," she said. "And with Malin, it was so collaborative in terms of like, ‘Are you OK? Do you want me to do this? Is this OK if I put my hand here?’ Just so much care was taken, which felt really nice."

Snow recently starred alongside Malin Akerman in "The Hunting Wives." (Pat Martin)

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The show was a huge success for Netflix, drawing 5.2 million views in its first week. Snow and Akerman announced in September that the show would return for a second season via an Instagram video of the two in character, captioned, "Omg it’s official... ‘THE HUNTING WIVES: SEASON 2’ is coming y’all!!"

During an interview with Extra in October, Akerman said Season 2 should arrive in summer 2026.

"Usually, you get a five-month writers’ room, but because it was such a wild success this summer, Netflix has said, ‘We need a summer release. We’re going to go back to work in November. You get a month and a half writers’ room,’" Akerman said. "So, they’re writing feverishly."

Akerman and Snow announced "The Hunting Wives" will return for season two in an Instagram post in September. (Rick Kern/Getty Images for Uber)

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Snow is also appearing in the Hulu drama series "Murdaugh: Death in the Family" and Netflix's "The Beast In Me," which premieres Nov. 13.