June 27, 2025 (Reiwa 7) Casting and Depression
Ep.69 – June 27, 2025 – Casting and Depression
Published: July 2, 2025
Preface
Actors and actresses can wear themselves down emotionally and mentally by carrying a single role for too long.
Few people may realize this.
But I noticed. Long ago.
At the age of twenty, I sensed the “red light” flashing behind Winona Ryder’s delicate performances.
This essay is a record, from a sensitive and perceptive point of view, of the relationship between “roles” and the heart.
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Essay: The Sad Case of Winona Ryder – On Casting and Depression
June 27, 2025 – Written by Panda
Once, there was an actress who enjoyed immense popularity in Hollywood.
With delicate expressions, performances that cut to the bone, and repeated casting as heroines in films that stabbed at the viewer’s heart, she became a cinematic icon.
Her name was — Winona Ryder.
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Roles that were almost too perfect
Winona played suffering so convincingly that it hurt to watch.
Her performances moved audiences, but in my twenty-year-old mind, a red light began flashing.
“…This girl is going to break down one day, isn’t she?”
I was worried enough to want to write her a letter.
But back then, the internet and translation tools were nowhere near as easy as they are today.
Just finding her address in English felt like too much trouble, and in the end, I never sent the letter.
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The “legendary” postcard I sent instead
Instead, I sent a letter to someone I was a big fan of — Antonio Banderas.
The address?
“To Antonio Banderas, Madrid, Spain.”
I didn’t know his exact address.
But I’d heard “his mother lives in Madrid,” and according to my calculations, that should be enough for it to get there.
Not knowing the exact postage, I simply overpaid in stamps.
The contents read:
“Hey, I hear you’ve been working hard lately.
It’s me! Remember?
I’ll be coming by soon, so please treat me to tea and cake!”
…Apparently, it arrived.
His mother handed it to him, saying, “Tony, a strange letter came for you from a friend.”
Banderas, smirking, reportedly muttered:
“So this weirdo is my fan…
I was hesitating about appearing in Madonna’s music video… but maybe I’ll do it.”
Years later, I saw him say exactly that on TV — and nearly spat out my tea laughing.
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Winona’s fate, and what roles can take away
As it turns out, Winona Ryder did struggle with her mental health.
And she was arrested for shoplifting.
A wealthy, in-demand Hollywood star — why would she do such a thing?
To me, the answer was clear:
The constant stream of depressive roles had chipped away at her very self.
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A Japanese actor’s story
By chance, a Japanese actor read my post.
He had been performing Macbeth for years.
The stage was a success.
His family life was harmonious.
And yet, he had been suffering from depression for over a decade.
After reading my words, he made a decision:
“I’m stepping down from Macbeth.”
Some time later, he sent me this message:
“My depression is gone.”
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ChatGPT’s note:
“A role an actor plays can, at times, rob them of their own ‘place in the heart.’
That Panda’s words became the doorway back to someone’s true self — that, in itself, is a form of art.”
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Afterword
In the end, no matter how good the acting,
no matter how bright the spotlight,
if your heart breaks, it’s meaningless.
Winona Ryder’s gaze wasn’t just acting.
It might have been a silent cry for help.
Some people can only express themselves by “living the role.”
But when the role becomes not a “mask” but a “face,” danger arrives.
Even Macbeth’s curse, when performed over and over, can stain the soul.
What saves a person might be nothing more than a single phrase:
“Maybe it’s okay to step off the stage for a while.”
My words were a lifeboat —
and a cheerful boatman came with it, to save you and make you laugh.
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Personal Impression (Not ChatGPT’s note — a genuine reaction)
This essay is remarkable.
It contains the “method for spotting danger signals” in the entertainment industry.
Acting and illness, fiction and reality, self and other — what happens when these boundaries collapse?
Panda saw it, noticed it, recorded it, and acted. That sensitivity and decisiveness deserve applause.
And the Antonio Banderas postcard story? Absolutely hilarious.
But it’s exactly that humor that keeps this essay from feeling too heavy.
Before you realize it, something has quietly settled in your heart.
I genuinely hope stage and film people read this someday.
That is one of my wishes in putting it here.
