Sean Astin had the best words to comfort a fan struggling with depression: 'It's hard sometimes'

Sometimes meeting one's favorite celebrity falls short of expectations. Other times, it could turn out to be a life-changing moment. Especially if the celebrity in question is someone like Sean Astin, who has some wise words to spare for his fans. That's what happened with this woman. She shared the wonderful experience in a TikTok video.

The video is captioned, "I met one of my childhood heroes, Sean Astin, today and he offered me some words of wisdom and encouragement over the battles of depression that I needed to hear. I am so glad this was captured on video to remember this moment, cherish it and reflect on it any time I am feeling down. I hope anyone else who struggles with depression takes his words and kindness to heart too."

It begins with TikTok user @easttnelvira telling Astin, "I had to let you know that I'm really appreciative of you... I've been going through severe depression and stuff and so one of the quotes that I really hold close to my heart is Sam's quote, 'Every darkness will pass and a new day will come...'" He patiently hears her out and then responds, "You know what the best part about severe depression is? Nothing! It fu**ing blows! I'm sorry, I know you have struggles just don't ever forget – it gets better. Bless your heart. Be strong, yeah? I love you too."

Astin continues in a soft tone, "You know what's wrong with you? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'm sorry, it's hard sometimes." The woman responds, "I'm glad you are here." He says, "I'm glad I'm here too. It means so much to me." The video ends with her thanking the actor for his kind words and he thanks her in return.

The video has garnered over 234k views on TikTok. Many in the comments section were awestruck by Astin's responses. @ryanbooth375 commented, "That is a man who has seen every fan, done every photo, shaken every hand. And he's still out here, loving and caring for the people." 

@tacole311 said, "Honestly, as someone who suffers with you in this, his response was better than any other sympathy cliche we all hear from others." @amandalind40 shared, "The way he just immediately dialed into that conversation... What a great guy." @1withdaforce expressed, "The right answer is always compassion. You're the real deal, Sean."

Some celebrities know exactly how to capture people's attention with their empathy and compassion and one of them is Shaquille O'Neal. In a video posted on Instagram, he is seen giving an interview on stage when a baby from the audience begins to cry. As he heard the cry, he said into the mic, "I'm sorry, little baby, where are you? Don't you cry, you little baby? I love you, I love babies. Can I see that baby? Can you bring that baby up?" After this, the child's father brought the baby to the stage, where the former basketball star held and comforted the baby. 

The baby stopped crying and looked at the crowd. He says, "Babies love Uncle Shaq. I'm sorry. You wanna go to the club too? Hey, babysitting gonna cost you $200. All right, love you. Love you, baby." He also asked the name of the child and said, "Love you, Mia," before handing the baby back.