Al Pacino, arguably one of the best actors of all time, has opened up about his battle with depression.
The 74-year-old was attending Venice Film Festival when he admitted to struggling with the mental illness.
Pacino was in attendance to promote two movies, The Humbling and Manglehorn, one of which he plays the role of a man who slips into a depressed state as he ages.
In an interview at festival, Pacino admitted: “I may be depressed but I don’t know about it”.
The Academy Award winner said he felt “spared” and “lucky”, expressing sincere gratefulness that the intensity of his depression did not last.
“People go into depression and it’s very, very sad and it can last and it’s terrifying.
“I know that, I’ve had bouts with stuff that comes close to that, but not with that intensity. I feel spared, I feel lucky”.
When speaking about his character in The Humbling, Pacino said: “The character is getting older and the feelings he has for his work are becoming less available to him, so he tries to compensate and becomes a little off and confused and slips into a kind of depression that expresses itself in his work”.
The legendary actor also made reference to one of his most famous roles to date: “In Godfather II, I would imagine Michael Corleone was depressed”.
