Kirsten Dunst reveals her own private Melancholia

Kirsten Dunst broke her silence about her own serious bout with depression while promoting her new movie Melancholia on Ellen yesterday.

Just in time to promote her aptly named new movie Melancholia, Kirsten Dunst is talking about her own battle with depression for the first time.

The actress revealed during an appearance on Ellen that her 2008 rehab stint was at least partially caused by the pressures of Hollywood.

Ellen Degeneres asked the actress, “There’s no way to bring it up without saying what it is — you suffered from depression.”

“It’s not something I feel, like, totally comfortable talking about but yeah, it’s a very personal thing,” Dunst said. “I dealt with it. Yeah. That and it’s also interesting as an actress you’re supposed to be sensitive and vulnerable and have this side to you. But then your supposed to be super sociable and ‘on’ and like nice to everybody. That’s a weird dichotomy. It’s a lot to ask of a person. It’s not a normal thing.”

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Dunst checked into Cirque Lodge Treatment Center in Utah back in February 2008 and says the “step back” was exactly what she needed to refresh her mind and rejuvenate her career.

“I definitely took a little bit of a break. And also, when you’re in your 20s you need figure things out and take a step back,” said Dunst, who got her big break at 10 years old in Interview with the Vampire alongside Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. “I had been acting so long, all my life, that I think I just needed a little bit of, some perspective. It was good for me and it re-inspired what I do, too.”

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To keep steady, Dunst says she tries to avoid the traps that come along with fame — and part of that is only walking the red carpet when absolutely necessary.

“I avoid the red carpet as much as possible,” she told Degeneres. “You have to do it to promote your movies obviously but you won’t see me at an event just for the sake of it.”

Melancholia hits theaters this Friday Nov. 11, 2011.

Image courtesy FayesVision/WENN.com