Trigger Warning: This article includes references to sexual abuse
Actor Alan Ritchard’s opened up about attempting suicide after being a victim of multiple sexual assaults in his life.
“I hung myself,” the actor, who has appeared in series such as Blue Mountain State, Smallville, and Black Mirror, and currently stars in Prime Video’s “Reacher,” told the Hollywood Reporter in a profile put out on Wednesday.
Apparently, his attempt took place in the attic of his Encino, California, home with a green extension cord. “It all happened so fast, and I was dangling there,” he said. However, the actor made a last minute change of mind and pulled himself up before he blacked out after he saw a vision of his sons, Calem, 11, Edan, 10, and Amory, 8, in their mid-30s.
“They calmly asked me not to do it, and told me that they wanted me to be here, alive and part of their lives,” he noted. He shares his sons with his wife, Catherine Ritchson.
Alan Ritchard’s cause behind the sudden suicide attempt
Following the alarming event,. Ritchson immediately sought assistance, leading to his bipolar diagnosis at the age of 36. Later, at 40, he also discovered he had ADHD. His suicide attempt came after years of sexual assaults that refrained him from being in the modeling field in his acting career, ultimately letting him quit modeling forever.
“There are very few redeeming qualities to working in [the modeling] industry. Let’s be honest, it’s like legalized sex trafficking,” he claimed. “The industry is not regulated, and it’s a widely known secret that if you’re hired on a job, you’re being passed off to a photographer to be trafficked.”
“The number of times and situations where I was put in horrific environments where sexual abuse was the goal and the paycheck that you were desperate for to survive was the carrot, I can’t count on two hands. It was quite often.”
A little bit about Alan Ritchard’s acting career
Born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, actor Alan Ritchard has established himself as an important figure in Hollywood. At the beginning of his career, Alan essayed the role of Aquaman in the series Smallville, marking the character’s first appearance in an officially licensed live-action production. The actor has also played gripping leading roles in independent films such as the modern-day western Rex and the famous love story Steam, where he acted alongside Ally Sheedy. He further left a lasting impression with his role as the love-to-hate character Thad Castle in the football comedy Blue Mountain State. Besides acting, the star is also into writing, producing, and pursuing his side hobby as a singer and songwriter.
Recently, Alan has been seen as the District 1 victor, Gloss, in Catching Fire, the second installment of the cult popular Hunger Games franchise. He also took on the role of the cool-but-crude Raphael in the Michael Bay-produced reboot of TMNT.
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with domestic violence or assault or abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.
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