[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Alan Ritchson is opening up about a dark time of his career.
During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter published on Wednesday, the Reacher star pulled back the curtains on the early days of his Hollywood career as a model — and the “scars” those times left within him. He jadedly explained:
“There are very few redeeming qualities to working in that industry. Let’s be honest, it’s like legalized sex trafficking. The industry is not regulated, and it’s a widely known secret that if you’re hired on a job, you’re basically being passed off to a photographer to be trafficked.”
Related: ANOTHER Nickelodeon Star Reveals He Was Sexually Assaulted By Agent
That’s completely vile. And sadly, not wrong. From the Me Too movement, to Jeffrey Epstein, to Diddy’s current legal situation, more and more has come out over the last several years about the dark side of Hollywood. And the Fast X star has stories. He recalled:
“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 in order to survive was the carrot, I can’t count on two hands. It was quite often.”
Alan, who started his career as a model before moving into acting, added:
“You’re always dancing around this very terrible line of, ‘How do I keep the job and not completely offend this photographer or this agent or whoever set this thing up, and how do I not get raped?’ I completely empathize with women who deal with dynamic power struggles with predatory people in the workplace. It’s still unfair, but if I really had to, I could get myself out of whatever room I was in through a physical altercation. Most women don’t have that option. Imagine how terrifying it must be.”
Seriously… He’s a hulking dude. Women aren’t often as lucky.
There was, however, a turning point where enough was enough. The Titans star revealed:
“I was working a lot at the time, and was one of the highest paid models at the agency. 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. I left and drove straight to the agency that I was at in LA I stormed in and said, ‘F**k you for sending me there. You knew what was going to happen, and you did it anyway.’”
So awful… He continued:
“I told them to never call me again. I quit the industry and it was the last photo shoot I’ve ever had. Those pictures were never seen or published. That was it. I swore it off and thank God acting found me at the exact same time so I was able to make a switch to a new career, but it left some scars.”
How completely horrendous. And sadly, those scars cut deep. He recalled a time in 2019 when the darkness permeated his whole worldview — to the point where he attempted to end it. He explained:
“I hung myself. It all happened so fast, and I was dangling there.”
However, in the midst of things, he said a vision of his young sons came into his mind:
“They calmly asked me not to do it, and told me that they wanted me to be here, alive and part of their lives.”
So, he managed to pull himself up and went straight to the doctor:
“I was diagnosed as bipolar right after. Deep down, I was comforted to know, ‘OK, there’s a name for this.’”
Ultimately, it sounds like he’s gotten to a better place:
“I came out of that whole thing asking myself, ‘OK, if I am going to choose to be alive here — a decision we all make, some to a greater degree than others — what am I doing? Why am I here?’ What I kept falling back on was the meaning and purpose of life as someone who believes that there is a creator and we are created beings, our purpose in life is, without qualification, to make the world a better place and serve others. That is what life is all about.”
We’re so glad he’s still here with us. Alan shares those aforementioned three sons with wife Catherine.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available. Consider contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, by calling, texting, or chatting, or go to 988lifeline.org.
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
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