Actor, director Ryan Phillippe, best known for roles in Gosford Park, Crash, The Bang Bang Club and most recently the TV thriller series Shooters has talked openly about his struggle with depression. He was married to Reese Witherspoon for eight years, producing two children.
In interviews he describes himself as ‘quietly tortured at times. 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. 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. 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.’ But he also said that he’s much funnier than people think. ‘It’s a dark humour, like a gallows humour. I think that’s where, if you do carry any of that sadness or depression, your humour does tend to be a little darker than most people.’
Born 10 Sept 1974 5.18pm New Castle, Delaware, he does have a heavy chart – with Sun and Mars in Virgo in his 8th (not conjunct) and Mars conjunct Pluto and widely Mercury also in the 8th. Mercury Pluto can veer to the negative at the best of times and compacted by Mars and in the 8th will make him even more inclined to dwell on problems and suffer from anguished frustrations. His Sun is opposition Jupiter in Pisces which will help, and sextile Saturn in Cancer. His Cancer Moon squares Pluto Mercury, which again will anchor him into the depths of his feelings, rather than the lighter, brighter end. Though his Moon is also trine Jupiter which will give him hope to hang onto.
It’s an Earth, Water, Air chart with only one Fire sign – filmic Neptune in his 10th. Fire gives trust in life and confidence which is his weak element.
It’s probably as well he’s American, in a culture that is therapy and self-help-oriented, since leaving all those dark energies festering wouldn’t have helped him.
He’s in a hard-working phase till the early 2020s. 2016/17 are pressured with tr Pluto opposition his 6th house Saturn; and tr Neptune will conjunct his Jupiter in 2017, which may see some plans falling through. But Jupiter is heading for his midheaven by late 2018 for a year thereafter which will give his career a boost.
Another actor with some of the same chart markers was Marlon Brando, born 3 April 1924 11pm Omaha, Nebraska to an alcoholic mother and an abusive father. He had Pluto in the 8th opposition Mars square a New Moon in Aries in his entertainment 5th house. His chart certainly indicates great inner turmoil and angst. But he had a good deal more Fire with an inspirational, demanding Fire Grand Trine of Sun Moon trine Jupiter in Sagittarius trine Neptune. His emphasised Neptune, also on the focal point of a Yod to Mars sextile Uranus, would be what sent him into seclusion for many years.