Jonah Hill says he was 'brutal' to himself while trying to break into comedy

• Jonah Hill said he was "brutal" to himself in comedy and skateboarding circles in his 20s.
• "I would throw myself down 10 stairs to make my friends laugh," the Oscar nominee said.
• Hill said he was "a target for abuse" in both circles as "an insecure, overweight kid."

Jonah Hill said he was "brutal" to himself as a 20-something-year-old trying his hand at comedy and skateboarding.

In a conversation with filmmaker Adam McKay published in GQ on Tuesday, Hill opened up about being "a target for abuse" in both comedy and skateboarding communities as "an insecure, overweight kid." Hill and McKay also chatted about their careers and other filmmakers, like Martin Scorsese and Seth Rogen, in the same conversation.

"I sucked at skateboarding. But I would throw myself down 10 stairs to make my friends laugh, knowing I couldn't ever do any trick that would be good," the "Superbad" actor said when McKay asked Hill about his 2018 directorial debut "Mid90s," which told the story of a young boy befriending older skateboarders.

Hill continued: "Or in comedy, I would be brutal to myself, or allow brutality to me, because I felt like that was my seat at the table."

Despite the "abuse," Hill told McKay that those who pursue skateboarding and comedy (maybe not both like the actor did) "are the smartest, most interesting, most damaged and beautiful people."

"They really remind me of each other because they bring in these lost souls that don't fit anywhere else, and they really are similar," he added of the two groups.

A post shared by Jonah Hill (@jonahhill)

The "Knocked-Up" actor also said that being "overweight" in comedy and skateboarding was "like having a scarlet letter on you."

Hill previously spoke out against body-shaming in February after the Daily Mail published shirtless photos of him at the beach. The actor had also received media attention for his weight loss in 2011 and 2017.

"I don't think I ever took my shirt off in a pool until I was in my mid 30s even in front of family and friends," Hill wrote on Instagram while calling out the tabloid. "Probably would have happened sooner if my childhood insecurities weren't exacerbated by years of public mockery about my body by press and interviewers."

He added: "I'm 37 and finally love and accept myself. This isn't a 'good for me' post. And it's definitely not a 'feel bad for me post.' It's for the kids who don't take their shirt off at the pool."

Hill first came to prominence with his role in the 2007 teen comedy "Superbad" but has since starred in critically-acclaimed dramas like "War Dogs" (2016) and "Richard Jewell" (2019).

He has also scored two Academy Awards nominations, for "Moneyball" in 2012 and "Wolf of Wall Street" two years later - both in the best supporting actor category.