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Secrets & Lies star Ryan Phillippe opens up to Elle about his struggles with depression, and says that he’s passed it down to 15-year-old daughter Ava.

On suffering from depression: “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. 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.”

On the silver lining to depression: “There’s great value to it, but it can also ruin your f*cking 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.”

On his sense of humor: “I’m way funnier than people know me to be. And it’s a dark humor, like a gallows humor. I think that’s where, if you do carry any of that sadness or depression, your humor does tend to be a little darker than most people. And the greatest comedians do—trust me. I know so many of them. And they’re depressed and they’re dark and they have this incredible gift of humor to offer others and also, probably, therapeutically themselves.”

For more from Ryan – who is also dad to son Deacon, 11, and daughter Cai, 3 – go to Elle…

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