Award-winning actress Bellamy Young spent 7 seasons as Mellie Grant, ‘Scandal's' powerful first lady, and was most recently seen in Hulu’s ‘The Other Black Girl.’ Today, she’s using her platform to raise awareness about a health issue that can often be stigmatized and under-discussed — cirrhosis. The mortality rate for cirrhosis has doubled over the past 15 years, a bleak reality that has personal resonance for Bellamy and her family.

When she was just 15, her father passed away two years after being diagnosed with hepatic encephalopathy — or HE — a complication of cirrhosis in which your liver doesn’t properly filter out toxins that can in turn cause cognitive issues like disorientation and confusion once they reach the brain.

Bellamy has been partnering with Salix Pharmaceuticals on Understanding HE, an awareness campaign to offer tools of support while shedding a needed spotlight on this condition. You can head to UnderstandingHe.com for more information on that.

On Topic, Off Script host Brian Mastroianni sits down with Bellamy to discuss HE, how she's honoring her dad's memory, and what's next for her -- from new acting projects to writing!

Music: The Right Direction by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Logo: David J. Martin

For more info on host, journalist Brian Mastroianni:

brianmastroianni.com

IG: @bmastroianni