Jonah Hill's therapist took heartbreaking photo of him after his brother suddenly died

A photo that Jonah Hill's therapist once took of him has been unearthed this week, following one of the actor's first public appearances in years.

For those who haven't heard, 41-year-old Hill was pictured by paparazzi on Monday (5 Oct) working on his latest comedy film, Cut Off.

Donning a long-sleeved, leopard-print top, the film star was seen exiting a movie trailer, pairing his extravagant get-up with some black-and-white cat-eye glasses, a chunky silver bracelet and matching ring. Check out said pic right here.

The snaps were shot three years after the 21 Jump Street favourite first announced his plans to disappear from public view.

At the time, he cited a private battle with anxiety which had been 'exacerbated' over the years - largely spurred by the sudden death of his brother, Jordan Feldstein, who died of a heart attack at the age of 40 five years earlier.

He made the admission not long after wrapping up his self-directed feature-length documentary Stutz, which centred on Hill using therapy as a means of getting through his grief.

"I understand that I am of the privileged few who can afford to take time off. I won't lose my job while working on my anxiety," he said at the time.

"With this letter and with Stutz, I'm hoping to make it more normal for people to talk and act on this stuff. So they can take steps towards feeling better and so that the people in their lives might understand their issues more clearly."

Despite having been released several years ago now, the documentary - which solely stars Hill and his therapist, Phil Stutz - was credited at the time with giving an unflinching insight into the reality of grief.

One particularly segment of the entirely black-and-white film, which immediately hit home with fans, saw Stutz taking a single photograph of Hill at the beginning of their journey together.

Stutz took a photograph of Hill on their first day together (Netflix)

"I spend a lot of my life avoiding thinking about that day," the doc hears the star reflect. "I went into your office. It was definitely the most intense day in my life."

By the Wolf of Wall Street star's own admission, it took him four years to look at the image in question.

Asked why he took the photo, Stutz told Hill of the rarity in getting 'a chance to record something at the climactic, most important moment'.

"And then you come back to it, whether it's in a week or a year," the therapist continued. "There's a time gap. And in that time gap you actually experience the forces of healing and recovery."

After finally taking a glance at the blindsiding snap, Hill remarked in the doc: "I look stripped of everything fake. And there is an oddly serene look on my face which is so bizarre, but maybe because it demolished everything that didn't matter."

Hill previously took a break from the spotlight (Matthias Nareyek/Getty Images)

The mental health expert then explained: "That's the picture of somebody who's gone through hell and came out the other side.

"And is really okay. That's a picture of victory even though it might not look like it."