Reacher’s Hulking Alan Ritchson Is Exactly The Mental Health Advocate We Need Right Now

Shortly into the profile, Ritchson tells the interviewer that “mental health is an everyday conversation for me,” something that anyone living with mental illness can relate to on a cellular level. But he immediately follows by saying he texts his psychiatrist each day to check in, and on the day of the interview texted her, “I’m great!” Her response was, “Are you really? Too great?” If you’re someone with bipolar disorder, this is instantly relatable. Most people have a general understanding of bipolar disorder — the periods of severe depression juxtaposed with periods of overwhelming mania. At my most manic, I certainly feel “good,” but it’s the type of “good” that makes me feel invincible when in reality I am on the verge of crashing at any second.

The world is accustomed to people who look like me (fat white girl with colored hair aNd PrOnOuNs) talking about mental illness, which makes it a hell of a lot easier for people to ignore whatever I have to say. But when it comes from Alan Ritchson? The guy who plays Jack Reacher? The guy who played a scene where he was stabbed in the forearm and kept punching a dude as if nothing happened? When that guy talks about mental health, people listen, possibly for the first time.

But his diagnosable conditions like bipolar disorder and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) aren’t the only areas Ritchson is willing to get forthright about. Throughout the interview, he speaks about his past self-destructive habits, his body image insecurities, surviving sexual abuse in the workplace during his time as a model, and his history of suicidal ideation. The rate of male suicide is nearly 4x that of women, and a large part of it is because men aren’t given the space or grace to talk about their emotions. Seeing someone like Alan Ritchson — who looks like a drawing of an “alpha male” come to life — talk about these issues could be sincerely life-saving.