Joe Pantoliano, aka “Joey Pants,” has a great memory when it comes to mental health.
“You need three things: masturbation, medication, and meditation,” he exclusively told Page Six at the Tribeca Festival 30th Anniversary Premiere of Bound.
The Sopranos alum went on to explain that he takes “amazing supplements,” doesn’t meditate, and that “my wife (Nancy Shepard) takes care of[masturbation].”
Instead of taking medication, Pantoliano takes regular walks, explaining, “When I went to McLean Hospital, which is a brain hospital, I was told that a 15-minute brisk walk was the equivalent of 90 milligrams of Prozac, so I walk every day.”
Pantoliano added that he had struggled with addiction for many years.
“Success,” he explained, was one of his addictions, “and sex, and alcohol.”
“I had to find something that would make this feeling go away. I thought that if I could succeed, this feeling that was deep inside me would also go away.”
Instead, Pantoliano said, “I didn’t die when I crashed or burned. And I think I discovered my flaws. It wasn’t a terrible flaw, it was just, you know, a mental illness.”
The 74-year-old “Matrix” star has been open about his mental health struggles for years.
Last year, he told Page Six that he had suffered from depression for nearly a decade before being diagnosed, and that he intended to self-medicate for “seven deadly symptoms.”
“Alcohol, availability, women, risky behavior is about acting first and asking questions second,” he explained.
Pantoliano, who was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2007 and has since written two books about mental health issues, founded the organization “No Kidding Me Too!” in 2009. It aims to remove the stigma surrounding mental health.
Meanwhile, the Emmy winner confessed that he was a little surprised to be celebrating Bound so many years after its release.
“I never thought I’d be talking to someone 30 years later. I never thought I’d be alive,” he said. “The fact that this film is being celebrated. I never expected to be so lucky.
“I had no idea how talented the Wachowskis were,” he said, referring to brother writer-directors Lana and Lily Wachowski. “You know, it was a good role, and I wanted to play a good role in the movie and I wanted it to be good, so it was very simple for me.”
The noir thriller also stars Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, and Chris Meloni.
