Actor Courtney B. Vance spoke on mental health at a panel discussion with the writer Candace McDuffie and Dr Robin Smith in Washington, DC earlier in the week.
Vance told the panel that his godson and his father died by suicide and therapy helped him cope. The 62-year-old’s father had suffered from depression and died when Vance was 30. After his sister and mother encouraged him, Vance decided to try therapy. The Emmy Award-winning actor admitted it took time to find the right therapist, but noted it was life-changing.
“I think we all have to find a good person to chat with and just like we tune our cars, we have to tune ourselves. Nobody else is going to help us if we don’t help ourselves.
“We started working on my dreams and it completely changed my life,” Vance added. “She asked me if I had the patience to let the mud settle in the water and let the water turn clear? But at the time, I didn’t know how to sit. She asked me how I made decisions. And I said, like acting, I’m just making a choice. She told me “it’s good for playing, but for life, it’s potentially fatal”. Sometimes you don’t know what to do and you have to stand. I can’t control any of this. The first three years of marriage are difficult. And I almost ruined it because I was trying to change her. I realized, she’s fine. You have to pull yourself together. »
The 61st street the actor said a book about dream interpretation, “Breakthrough Dreaming” by Gayle Delaneyalso helped him through his grief.
Vance and his wife, actress Angela Bassetteare working on a new movie, Heist 88, featuring Vance and actor keith david. The film is based on the true story of Armand Moore, who was the mastermind behind one of the nation’s biggest bank robberies. The film began production in August.