The 'Cruel Intentions' actor has a lifelong struggle with depression and he is getting better as time goes by.
- Dec 29, 2016
AceShowbiz - Ryan Phillippe has been suffering from depression for years. The 42 year-old actor, however, has learned how to cope with his pain. Phillippe, a father of three, opens up about his family, career and his personal struggles in a new interview with PEOPLE.
He explains why he took some break from acting to spend more time with his children Ava, Deacon and Kailani. "I wanted to be around as much as possible while my kids were still small," Phillippe says. "Now Ava and Deacon are teenagers, so the pressure and the guilt have decreased some. I'm really enjoying acting again, which is nice!" Ava and Deacon are Phillippe's kids with Reese Witherspoon, while Kailani is his daughter with former girlfriend Alexis Knapp.
Even though depression has always been following him, the "Secrets and Lies" actor admits he feels much better now than back when he was in his 20s and 30s. "I'm a lot more at peace than I was when I was younger," he says. "I struggled much more with depression when I was in my 20s and 30s. I think the amount of reading that I've done, the work on myself and the ways that I've found to cope are healthier than when I was younger."
To cope with his depression, Phillippe decides to be "more careful and considerate about why you make the choice you do or where the feelings you have come from." In addition, he says, "When you go through dark periods in life or if you're a person who has struggled with depression as I have throughout my life, to know that that can decrease and that it doesn't have to be your defining characteristic, that you can find ways to manage and cope and feel better-that's what I'm referring too."
After his public split with Reese Witherspoon in 2006, Phillippe made a wise decision not to think too much about media scrutiny, saying that he doesn't take it seriously. "I've faced every manner of gossip, and I don't take myself as seriously now," he says. "There is a freedom and a release that comes with maturity. I've made peace with it. We live in a time where being a private person isn't really an option anymore. If you want to be relevant, you have to be connected."
Now, having made peace with himself and his emotion, Phillippe is ready for the future. "I am happy," he says. "It hasn't always been like that, so I'm hoping to keep it going. And I think from there too, giving back and sharing whatever I can [is important]."
