Ritchson recalls Aquaman spin-off offer being derailed by network merger
"There was a merger at the time that happened between Warner Brothers and UPN to create the CW. And the president of UPN took over at the time and looked at the slate like, here's a guy with no resume whatsoever. He doesn't get his own show. Yeah. And so they kind of canned it."
About this episode
Actor Alan Ritchson speaks with Dax Shepard about family life, mental health and the instability of early career breaks in television and film. Ritchson describes longstanding hypervigilance and rejection sensitivity, and says he has recently been diagnosed with complex PTSD; he outlines his understanding of the condition and discusses EMDR in therapy as a way of processing trauma.
He also gives a detailed account of working as a male model, alleging he was repeatedly sent to shoots where people attempted to sexually exploit him and that agents and clients enabled predatory dynamics. He says he confronted an agent over being booked into situations he characterises as dangerous.
On career turning points, Ritchson recalls being offered an Aquaman spin-off after Smallville before it was derailed by the Warner Bros–UPN merger into The CW. He says a poorly received Thor audition prompted a shift towards serious training after a casting office contacted his team to say he looked right for the role but lacked “craft”.
Ritchson addresses a widely circulated neighbourhood incident involving a motorcycle ride with his children, saying a man blocked him, shoved him off the bike and that police arrived intending to arrest him. He says footage from a chest-mounted phone/body camera helped corroborate his account, and that the episode has had lingering effects on his children’s willingness to ride with him.
The conversation also touches on the pressures of fame and Ritchson’s efforts to navigate public attention alongside family boundaries.
Key takeaways
- Alan Ritchson says he has been diagnosed with complex PTSD and is undergoing therapy, including EMDR.
- He describes hypervigilance and rejection sensitivity affecting family dynamics, and says he is trying to change habits his children have flagged.
- Ritchson alleges predatory sexual behaviour was common in parts of the male modelling industry and says agents facilitated access to models.
- He recounts being offered an Aquaman spin-off after Smallville, saying it was cancelled amid the creation of The CW.
- He says blunt feedback after a Thor audition pushed him into formal acting training.
- Ritchson gives a first-person account of a neighbourhood motorcycle altercation, saying police came to arrest him and body-cam footage helped his case.
- He says the incident has affected his children’s willingness to ride motorcycles with him.