Ryan Phillippe Opens Up About His Depression
Ryan Phillippe opened up about his battle with depression in a candid and honest interview with Elle. Drawing direct parallels from a character he plays on the new television show Secrets and Lies to his own struggles, Ryan said he connected with his character because he is "quietly tortured at times." He elaborated, saying, "Depression has been an obstacle for me ever since I was a child. As you get older I think it decreases some, but I'm just innately kind of a sad person. I'm empathetic, and I take on the feelings of others and transpose myself into the position of others."
Even further, Ryan says he sees some similar qualities in Ava, his daughter with his ex-wife Reese Witherspoon. He said (quote via PEOPLE), "I see it in my daughter. She has it, and I wish to hell she didn't. It's just, some people do have this pervading sort of sadness, or they're so analytical that they can kind of take the fun out of things because they think too much."
But Ryan goes on to say that he would rather feel the way he does than be ignorant, "I'm thankful in some ways to have that level of sensitivity, but it can also become a burden at times...There's great value to it, but it can also ruin your f---ing life. But, that being said, if it was a choice between being this way or being completely ignorant, I'd prefer to suffer through the sadness than to be a complete moron with no feelings."
Speaking publicly about a topic that is still considered taboo is an immensely difficult thing to do, but we commend Ryan for being so honest about it.