What made Rahul Kohli turn to substance abuse during his 5 years on iZombie

RAHUL KOHLI was an open book this week, sharing how he developed unhealthy substance abuse while working on iZombie because of several stressors and dreary surroundings 📖 Given that knowledge, it’s no wonder those habits quickly corrected after the show made its end after 5 seasons.
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Rahul Kohli (iZombie, Midnight Mass) joins us this week to tell his inspiring story of how a lucky twist of fate, while he was on the brink of quitting acting because of a horrible audition, landed him his life changing role in iZombie. Rahul explains, however. that the onset politics, stress of being on a bubble show, and shooting in Canada caused him to spiral into unhealthy abusive and unhealthy habits. We also talk about his deep relationship personally and professionally with Mike Flanagan, the typecasting of South Asian actors, and his experience being diagnosed with bipolar.
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What on and off set made Rahul Kohli turn to substance abuse during his 5 years on iZombie #insideofyou #izombie

[@ravenguest]

I love how open and honest he is. I've always like Rahul. He's a human and a star x

[@michaelaichinger4647]

The Role of Ravi Catrapati was great. The chemistry between you and the others was awsome. And the Dancescene with Liv was awsome.

[@Chocobear555]

*Chakrabarti.

[@michaelaichinger4647]

@@Chocobear555 oh sorry youre right.

[@hamburgerzzzzz]

I live in Vancouver and I can confirm the weather plays a large role in my depression and subsequent alcohol consumption 😬

[@kb5509]

It's certainly an excuse, not a good one of course.

[@hindsightpov4218]

@@kb5509 No one likes judgmental people.

[@soulsemblance3163]

@@kb5509 On one part there are proven studies that showed that the weather can deeply affect psychology. On the other hand I live in Germany where it rains literally every 2nd or 3rd day and I barely abuse any substances

[@helsinki]

But he's from Uk, the country of dreary rainy weather. The weather is definitely not the reason for him.

[@hamburgerzzzzz]

@@helsinki he was specifically referencing his time in Vancouver and the impact it had on him...

[@DaveTexas]

I will watch anything and everything he’s in. He’s fantastic! He can play such a wide range of characters very convincingly. His work with Mike Flanagan is particularly great. And he’s HOT!!!

[@kanishkagoel22]

The part where he tells his emotions, its evident how much problematic of a life is for a person with bipolar. I hope he gets better

[@Rickie_Speed]

Yeah it sucks lol

[@lobo8834]

I dont

[@mirandabochner7663]

Its very similar for adhd as well, emotional regulation is so incredibly hard and we feel emotions so much more intensely than neurotypical brains. It’s wild the things our brains do.

[@happyclam1266]

@@mirandabochner7663 Bipolar is nothing like ADHD in my experience.

[@cinder7258]

hmm i dont feel like that@@mirandabochner7663

[@925mmm]

izombie is one of my favourite shows and i love your character of ravi chakrabarti so much, he is my favourite! really glad that i got to see your amazing performance as him and i really relate to the emotions stuff, its pretty intense. keep going and never give up!!

[@invictusbat7225]

Raoul I'm sorry that was a tough time for u. I loved u in that show! One of my top 10 tv shows of all time. I am always excited to see you in something. I miss that whole main cast. Good luck to you in your future. Think about doing some theater or I know this is corny but I would love to see you in hallmark movies.

[@ElizabethHoward]

Oh, man, the discourse about people pleasing in therapy... I feel that so deeply.

[@caraklinkerman798]

Same! Tbh, I feel a little called out lol I'm exactly that way in therapy still, and I started going 8 years ago 😂 I am getting better though! My therapist sees right through my bull 🤣

[@axothegremlin]

It sucks to hear the things this man has gone through when this whole time watching iZombie since it came out when I was a kid I was like "Oh this guy's a good actor he must have such a cool life" just to find out that it was actually heavy on him at the time.

[@TheYumChannel]

It’s so funny because I just decided to watch the show again yesterday and I literally thought to myself, what is Ravi up to filmography wise? I went to his wiki page and found that it is surprisingly limited despite his great acting ability. I figured I’d never find out what his life was like… then this video, posted only 8 days, comes into my recommendation. I’m so sorry to hear that you had a rough spot with substances. If I ever make a film I want you in it

[@serenityq26]

he's on twitter

[@Chocobear555]

Do you subscribe to Netflix? Because he is in two Netflix limited series: "The Haunting of Bly Manor," and "Midnight Mass." And, of course, "IZombie," is on there. (Depending on what region you're in.)

[@freddyaltina2737]

He’s on TikTok!! He posts videos fairly regularly.

[@elliefowler2508]

@@Chocobear555and now he’s on the fall of the house of usher! Finished it on Saturday and it was incredible!

[@vausty]

I love Rahul so much. This man gets it.

[@burningpuppy476]

Alcohol is easily the #1 drug people self medicate with... Sadly turns into alcoholism before they realize.

[@colin641]

I've been dealing with alochol related issues for years now. I've always been responsible whist drinking. hearing Raul talk about his experience is my experience for years. I've realized it for awhile. it's still a healing process but my mum told me I was a alcoholic today. that cut me. I hurt her feelings and in my circumstance it's been a escape. I know I'm a alcoholic. I enjoy drinking watching films and playing video games. its kinda odd knowing Raul experienced what I've been going thru without the acting and in show business aspect

[@chiquitaess]

@@colin641well hopefully you got it figured out man good luck

[@beatrizgaspar6697]

I love seeing him in mike Flanagans shows, i hope he keeps up working with me!!!

[@julia-eu8xo]

I think I read somewhere he'll be in his next show

[@tanjalindroos4232]

I loved the actors but I love Rahul and his voice the most! ❤

[@elizacarrie7433]

It’s a travesty that this man didn’t get cast after iZombie. He was incredible! He’s so attractive! Unfair

[@RabiyaRavenclaw]

The reason he is not being casted is that HE IS ATTRACTIVE, if he was ugly he would have gotten plathora of roles.

[@hangoutwithme346]

He’s actually in a ton of Mike Flannigan miniseries on netflix in great roles.

[@lego9city693]

I just saw him in another movie today, and the weather reporter from izombie on the same movie !

[@thomasphillips885]

​@@RabiyaRavenclawplethora

[@dylansonier7189]

He was in bly manor on netflix more recently

[@3ggh3ad]

its good to hear he got over his alcohol problem, and moved on from a destructive addiction / habit speaking of which how are his warhammer armies :P

[@peterslavik1449]

Vancouver 100% does that to you, it is kind of hard to relate to the specific depression even past the rain that Van can have over you. It is so lonely and depressing when it isn't a rare good day

[@MrTensaikan]

Living on the east coast of Canada we have a lot of grey skies and rain through out the year so when I know that feeling.

[@kb5509]

Weather doesn't make you lonely or alcohol dependant. Most places have crap weather, it's not the root of all dysfunction.

[@peterslavik1449]

@@kb5509 you are not intelligent

[@peterslavik1449]

@@MrTensaikan yeah definitely, there's also the confines of the mountains too though which can often cut days shorter. We can have 3 months of solid rain, it is scary sometimes.

[@MrTensaikan]

@@peterslavik1449 mountains can cause a lot of weird weather... We have the bay of Fundy which stops a lot of hurricanes thankfully but give a lot of bad weather.

[@kayleelockheart8208]

It should be totally normal to have a therapist...like having a doctor or a dentist. If you're suffering from a severe case of "being alive" you need a therapist

[@FernandoHernandez-mb8ph]

OMG keep coming back man 🤯😊🥰

[@FernandoHernandez-mb8ph]

Also forgot to ask a scarecrow coming back yes he was killed off in the Harley Quinn show but it's a cartoon after all

[@wolftotem539]

My God is this man so handsome...I had family who lost themselves in addiction and it is so painful. I can't imagine what hell it is for the one who is trapped. I do like a few cocktails and I do smoke a pack of Camels a day, but so far I do not think its a problem. Lost a sibling to alcoholism last year and that hurts more than a shattered ankle. Its one of those things that kill the soul before they are done with the body and I am glad that this sexy, gorgeous man Rahul Kohli is surely getting better. What a strong individual. What a man! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@jessgeorge5030]

I would not have known that from just watching the show

[@steffani1989]

That’s one of my favourite shows of all time and Ravi was my favourite character!

[@samuel56551]

Who is actually being interviewed here ? Because we're hearing more of the interviewer's attitudes and opinions.

[@duozero00]

He's English of course he could drink that much least realistic thing about the show with Zombies was that Peyton could out drink him. glad he's doing better now though alcohol addiction is no joke and so hard to overcome the struggle is real.

[@Andy-xx3tt]

Not everyone in England drinks excessively and considering his character was a doctor, it actually makes more sense that he wouldn’t make alcohol a regular part of his diet.

[@BeneficialCuts]

Everyone talking about the weather in Vancouver.... The man is British. The British isles are some of the rainiest places on the planet. It wasn't the weather. All of us over here are habituated to it from childhood.

[@unturned_frek6957]

Ravi Chakrabarti I didn't know u were stressing over izombie 😢, it was a good show tho

[@rachelroberts56]

i'm so sad to hear this, I lOVE izombie❤️

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

I'm sorry he had such a unpleasant experience. I loved his character and Peyton. "Chakrabooty" (am I allowed to say that?)

[@kanoaikawach]

I love that his natural voice is just Ravi lol

[@comicsfan6278]

He was upfront about it, when Micheal said you saved your money right? Rahul was like na didn't do that!!

[@SuperSuperdude88]

Michael is an INCREDIBLE interviewer.

[@vikramhallen6717]

Is that lex from smallville?

[@theusernameicoodfind]

He was nice in midnight mass

[@mssaltygiggles]

I love this man 😭😭😭

[@melissarey2973]

David Duchovny also wasn't a fan of filming in Vancouver.

[@Skyebright1]

Olivia Cooke wasn’t either

[@chuckn4851]

Kind of a tone-deaf title tbh especially in this day and age. No one turns to "substance abuse." People have compounding issues in one way or another, use substances to self-medicate which *then* can evolve. Hell even saying substance abuse is incorrect, as it's substance use disorder.

[@titanfighter12]

Lol what?

[@queenwednesdayart]

I like that you're advocating for better language because a lot of people don't like educating themselves.

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

@@queenwednesdayart there's also the question of Value vs Worth. We have to accept that while value is objective, worth is subjective. So peoole living paycheck to paycheck for example, don't care about pronouns. I live in South Africa and I really don't care about what words Rosie uses on his videos. I found more value in what Rahul and Michael had to say.

[@ellax325]

You are nitpicking to high hell. Language about drug use is geographically dependent, so he isn't incorrect. Also, not everyone who abuses a substance has a disorder. There are people who do drugs in an excessive amount once and never again. They don't have a disorder, they tried it once, made a mistake and then never did it again.

[@freddyaltina2737]

@@ellax325 This isn’t about people that tried drugs once though. Addiction, to alcohol or drugs, is a disease. It’s just like heart disease or diabetes. It’s not just a bad frame of mind or whatever. It’s a literal brain disease, & we need to treat it as such.

[@andrea_2022]

Michael Rosenbaum could be a great therapist....I mean it. 😄

[@tcarroll777]

That show was on for 5 years??

[@TheMonkeydood]

Video is quite dark

[@nicholasblattler9366]

Alaska born and raised......8 months of winter....yeah drugs help

[@elizabethpizano1216]

Ok ill watch izombie again I think I stopped after season 3

[@cptclown2110]

See that cut in there? Cut a little out they didn't want to air it seems

[@vibin_psilocybin]

Or simply they started talking about something that wasn't on the subject of the video

[@Crispman_777]

HE SUMMONED HIS IRONCLAD WILLPOWER TO ACHIEVE SOBRIETY TO BETTER SERVE THE EMPEROR!!!

[@HankHillspimphand]

good god we could of got an amazing and in debth interview here where he beared his soul about his mental health issues, understanding why he turned to drink......is he broke now ect. but the interviewer is so tone deaf who asks questions for himself to answer and talk. just terrible.

[@aaronhelms3446]

Michael Rosenbaum is literally the worst interviewer ever. Let people talk, dude. Let them form their own sentences and tell their own stories without putting words in their mouths and speculating on what they're going to say. Completely irritating.

[@julia-eu8xo]

I have a solution for you: stop watching his videos

[@KaijuRaiden]

the guy from Fortnite

[@playermartin286]

And a guy like that is judging adam kovic…

[@PhaZeUnleashed]

He has a right to judge whoever he wants just like Adam has the right to judge him.

[@gogadantes8699]

I mean, someone who drinks damages himself as long as he doesn't abuse anyone else. Masturbating in the office, filming his wife in sexual acts without her knowing amd distributing the video, and stalking and being predatory towards women while already in a relationship damage other people. Quite a lot worse.

[@dontevenlook]

ohh this aged well didn't it, big man?

[@transformerstuff7029]

iZombie sucked, he's a lot of fun doing star wars shit with Bruce.

[@Chocobear555]

What are the chances that you're a bitter fan of "The Walking Dead," hmm?

[@freddyaltina2737]

What didn’t you like about it?

[@transformerstuff7029]

@@freddyaltina2737 the entire tone of the series...... But that's okay. I'm clearly not their target demographic. I'm male and mid 30's and staight. I don't believe the writers had me in mind ;P Acting, production and camera work seems fine. Just the story........not for me ;P wait....were you asking why I dislike the walking dead series on tv yet liked the comic book?

[@freddyaltina2737]

@@transformerstuff7029 That totally makes sense! 😁 I can definitely see how it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. I remember getting latched onto it early, I watched the first few episodes on tv as they aired, which is pretty rare for me to do lol. And then I just got sucked in & stayed for the rest! :) I was asking what you didn’t like about izombie! It was the other person that asked something about “The Walking Dead”. It’s funny, because I can watch izombie no problem, but I can NOT do TWD. 💀 It’s too scary for me. 😅😆

[@Chocobear555]

@@freddyaltina2737 : I mentioned "The Walking Dead," because I've encountered a few "TWD," obsessed people who put "IZombie," down because they claim that "IZombie," is ripping off "TWD." Last I heard, "TWD," is hardly the first piece of entertainment to focus on zombies. :D

[@Hero11170]

Wow try working at a real job for 12 hrs a day 5 days a week.

[@RuminatingRaptor]

Cry more. Sometimes they are on set and filming for long hours 5 days a week.

[@mambomeek]

What makes a job "real" ?

[@poopghost9845]

lmao, not his fault your hate your life, only you can make that change and if your unwilling to then dont complain, cope you disgustingly angry little man. not even worth respect.

[@kb5509]

A normal job isn't working 12 hours a day, it's 8 hours a day. You've chosen to work an abnormally long job. And most actors work 12-18 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week, varying from starting at 4am to finishing at 4am.

[@Hero11170]

@@kb5509 year around for 35 -40 years ,nah

[@Crackparty803]

tbh if I was a mediocre actor on a shitty show that nobody watched, I'd probably turn to drink too. Add to the fact that he's a terrible person who can't grow up, and it's not looking good for Rahul.

[@quinton50h]

you named yourself crackparty... your opinion is invalid