Actor Sean Astin took the virtual stage Thursday night in an event hosted by Penn State Altoona as part of its Distinguished Speaker Series.

Best known for roles in “The Goonies,” “Rudy,” “Stranger Things,” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Astin also is a public advocate for literacy, mental health awareness, bipolar disorder, and civic engagement. His presentation touched on all of these topics and more.

Astin began by discussing his time on the set of “The Lord of the Rings,” an epic undertaking that took two full years to produce to three films to completion. His almost-giddy demeanor led to many stories of his time in New Zealand on set.

Astin said he was blessed to have been a part of such an incredible project. One of his best memories from filming was that they filmed some of the most iconic scenes in the movies multiple times. Looking back on it, Astin feels honored to have experienced history in that way.

“I couldn’t have anticipated those types of unexpected, life-changing moments to happen over and over and over and over again,” Astin said.

History happens to be a personal interest to Astin as well, as he and his wife both graduated from UCLA with degrees in history and English. He discussed the importance of education in his family, which led to one of his main points of the evening.

“College is a great place to start fresh if you want,” Astin said on the idea of self-discovery, “but so is every day for the rest of your life.”

Astin talked about this process of finding one’s self as it pertained to his own children, who are of college-age. He coached his daughter to choose a path that she felt compelled to follow and suggested that we, as college students, do the same.

The most important message that Astin delivered was that of mental health activism, and because his family saw it firsthand in Astin’s mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder and would be prone to outbursts or delusions of grandeur.

Patty Duke, Astin’s mother, was the recipient of an Academy Award, along with two Golden Globes and three Emmys. She was also one of the first actresses to publicly speak out advocating for mental health awareness.

After his mother’s passing in 2016, Astin launched a charity in her honor, hoping to assist those with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder. He spoke emotionally to the room, highlighting that we don’t know what the person standing next to us is going through in their personal lives. Being a confidant to someone going through a tough time is one of the best things that we can do, remarked Astin.

“The best kind of leadership in the world is to lead by example,” Astin said.

He offered words of encouragement to those who are currently dealing with mental illnesses.

“The act of breathing in and out,” Astin implored, “is purpose, is mission.”

Astin’s message reflected the idea that if your personal journey of self-discovery happens when you’re 8 years old or 48 years old, it doesn’t matter. There is nothing more important than living your life the way you desire.

Facing mental hardships, we can lean on the words of Samwise Gamgee himself: “But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it’ll shine out the clearer.”