Group to Honor Actor for Mental Illness Efforts

By Donna Wright, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Jan. 8–Making a film based on the true story of a family struggling with mental illness was an epiphany for Joe Pantoliano.

Playing the husband of a schizophrenic wife helped the Emmy-award winning actor (Ralphie Cifaretto on “The Sopranos”) recognize his own struggle with depression. It also led the star to organize a movement among entertainers to start a national conversation about mental illness.

On Saturday, Pantoliano will receive an Illuminary Award at the 11th Annual NARSAD Symposium at the Van Wezel in Sarasota for his efforts to de-stigmatize mental illness. Joe Greco, director and writer of the film, also will be honored. The symposium, which is free and open to the public, brings together leading researchers in mental illness who will share their latest findings with the public.

The Illuminary Awards are given out each year by the National Association for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression to people who have helped shine the spotlight on mental disorders that affect more than 57.7 million people in the United States.

Pantoliano recently talked about how the filming of “Canvas” led to his own healing and a new life mission.

“Before we started filming, I thought of mental illness as a minority illness that did not affect the majority of people, but during the course of making the movie, I realized that more and more of the crew and actors were asking specific questions about mental illness,” Pantoliano said.

In the film, 10-year-old Chris Marino, played by newcomer Devon Gearhart, just wants to be normal, but his mother, Mary, played by Marcia Gay Harden, struggles with bouts of paranoia and delusion. His dad, a construction worker played by Pantoliano, struggles to pay for Mary’s doctor bills and find the right medicine to treat her schizophrenia, leaving little time or energy for his son.

When Mary’s behavior takes a dangerous turn, father and son watch helplessly as the police drag Mary out of the house to hospitalize her in a mental institution. Father and son eventually reconcile with a newfound understanding and respect, come to terms with Mary’s illness, and inspire each other to hope.

During the filming, a production assistant peppered Pantoliano with questions about the Baker Act, which allows law enforcement in Florida to commit people to a mental health hospital if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others.

“I learned his brother and sister had both been Baker Acted in the past,” Pantoliano said.

As filming continued, more and more members of the crew began talking about how mental illness had affected the lives of their families. One day when the 60 members of the cast and crew were discussing the upcoming shots, the conversations again turned personal.

“This really intrigued me,” said Pantoliano. “So I stood up and asked, ‘How many of you folks have had or know someone in your lives who have had mental illness?’ About 75 percent raised their hands. I was really taken aback. It was a confirmation of how pervasive the problem is.”

Playing the husband reminded him of scenes from his childhood when his mother would be overcome by wild mood swings.

“At the time I just thought she was being Italian but I came to understand that my mother had gone through her entire life without being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I buried my mother believing that she had chosen the life she led. I didn’t realize until I made the film that she had no choice because of her illness.”

As he delved deeper into the dynamics of mental illness, Pantoliano’s epiphany really hit home.

“I discovered that I, too, had been suffering from depression for over a decade and didn’t know what was wrong with me,” he said.

But that didn’t explain why his alcoholism and sadness persisted, Pantoliano said. “It was through the aid of working with my doctors, I learned that I have depression.”

He also came to understand that the uncle the family referred to as “Dopey Gus” wasn’t really crazy after all — he, too, suffered from mental illness.

So, did his Aunt Tilly, who like his mother suffered from mood swings and died at an early age.

His mother’s death at age 66 still haunts Pantoliano.

“I have a lot of guilt,” he said. “I cannot ask my mom to forgive me for not understanding what was wrong with her.”

Making “Canvas” not only led Pantoliano to treatment for his depression but also helped him open up to his family.

“As an actor, my emotions are my instrument. I call upon my imagination and life experience to create the character. That means my emotions are raw, at the tips of my fingers. I have been encouraged by my mentors to cultivate using my emotions but then, when the cameras stopped, I would end up saying things that aren’t meant to be said.”

By the time he got home, Pantoliano said he would bottle up his emotions, and for this he paid a terrible price.

“It’s like having an emotional stroke. I would just shut down from the hard work of the day and just crawl under the sheets.”

Today, after treatment and a lot of work to get in touch with his true feelings, Pantoliano said, “Life is good. I can feel my daughter’s hug again. My relationship with my family is much better. It’s a much better quality of life.”

“No Kidding, Me Too,” is now the name of a not-for-profit organization started by Pantoliano and others in the entertainment industry members to educate Americans about the epidemic related to mental illness in all forms.

“Our goal is tear this stigma out of the closet and de-isolate it, so that these people will be surprised to find millions of others like themselves and say, ‘No Kidding, Me, Too!’ ” he said.

If you go

–NARSAD Florida Mental Illness Research Symposium

9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Free and open to the public.

– Symposium presenters: Dr. Herbert Meltzer, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University; David Shern, chief executive officer of the Mental Health Association; Dr. James F. Leckman, Neison Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Psychiatry, Psychology and Pediatrics at Yale University

–NARSAD Florida 2008 11th Annual Sunshine from Darkness Gala

6:30-11 p.m., Sunday at the Ritz Carlton, Sarasota. Tickets $300 per person. For tickets and information call 308-6463 or visit www.narsadflorida.org/gala.html.

On the Web

For more information on “Canvas,” visit www.canvas thefilm.com. For more information on the organization, “No Kidding, Me Too!” visit www.nokiddingmetoo.org.

Donna Wright, health and social services reporter, can be reached at 745-7049.

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