This 41-year-old actor, best known for replacing a superstar in a big franchise, recently revealed he attempted suicide and battled with sexual assault. Trigger warning: This article contains description of self-harm
Alan Ritchson is not a household name in India but is a star of growing stature worldwide. The actor, who began his journey as a model, has been in the industry for over two decades now, transitioning from TV to films and now even OTT. However, in a recent interview, he shocked the world when he opened up – for the first time-ever – about his struggles with mental health and sexual assault.
Alan Ritchson’s sexual assault experience and suicide attempt
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor opened up about his modelling days and how he was subjected to sexual assault by a ‘top photographer’, who he did not name. “I was booked for a shoot for this very famous photographer. I was sent into a hotel room to do nudes with the promise that if I did the shoot, he would offer me a very lucrative campaign for a magazine and a clothing line. I was sexually assaulted by this guy,” he told the magazine. Ritchson recounted that he lashed out at his agency for sending him there and quit modelling.
The actor revealed that his struggles with mental health issues continued even after he became a successful actor and he attempted suicide in 2019. “I hung myself,” he says. “It all happened so fast, and I was dangling there,” he recounted. He eventually saw a vision of his sons asking him not to do it and he was able to pull himself back up before passing out.
Alan Ritchson’s career and replacing Tom Cruise
Having worked in TV shows like Blue Mountain State and Titans, Ritchson gained some visibility. But his true claim-to-fame was being cast as the titular character in the Amazon Prime Video adaptation of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. In the show Reacher, he plays an unstoppable former Marine. The character was famously played by Tom Cruise in two films and Ritchson called it ‘an honour’ to be able to follow in his footsteps.
Ritchson’s biggest film role came in the tenth instalment of the Fast and the Furious franchise – Fast X – where he played a secondary antagonist alongside Jason Momoa. The film, which released in 2023, ended up grossing over $710 million (almost Rs 6000 crore) at the global box office. The actor will be seen in two films this year - The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and Ordinary Angels.
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 "Alan Ritchson (C) in Titans")
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