AceShowbiz -

Ryan Phillippe opens up in an interview with Elle that he has been dealing with depression. The "Cruel Intentions" actor shares, "You know, depression has been a huge 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."

He also explains that depression has caused him to have darker humor than other people. Ryan continues, "I'm thankful in some ways to have that level of sensitivity, but it can also become a burden at times, you know?" Still on sensitivity, he also says, "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."

The ex-husband of actress Reese Witherspoon also gives his response to negative feedback he receives on his social media. He says, "My skin is so thick at this point. I've been in the entertainment industry for 23 years so there's nothing anyone can say that I haven't heard or thought myself. You just keep movin', you know? That noise is so quiet at this stage of my life. What can people say that hasn't been said, and what does it really matter? Who am I trying to really prove anything to at this point in my life? Myself, my kids, my family...."

In the interview, Ryan also discusses his career. While taking role behind the lens by recently producing a documentary movie about genocide in West Papua that won many awards, he says that he's still acting. He adds, "I really want to try-and be willing to fail-in a bunch of different realms. ... And now, I'm really involved in helping to liberate a small country. That takes time away from acting, you know. And then I was writing and directing my first independent film; I'm directing my second this spring."