Alan Ritchson photographed by Matt Weinberg.
Much like the action heroes he plays on screen, Alan Ritchson is living life in the fast lane. Both literally, whipping around his home state of Tennessee in a fleet of custom-made hypercars and bikes, as well as metaphorically, milking every interesting moment he can out of the unusual set of circumstances he’s found himself in. With a new season of Reacher out in August and a his new movie Motor City out in theaters today, the actor is attempting to maximize the precious free time he does have, playing with his three sons and pursuing any number of side projects, from fashion design to launching a disruptive supplement beverage. Miraculously, Ritchson was able to slow down just long enough to answer some of our most burning questions, before zooming off again into the night.
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What’s on your mind?
So much. Dear god. I think my hedonic set point is most pleased with 35 plates spinning at any one time. Creatively, I have about a dozen projects in various stages of development, photography or delivery at studios around town, and I’m unable to put down the puzzle pieces for any of them. I’ve started a luxury fashion line and design jewelry. I have a disruptive supplement on the way, which essentially replaces every major product in your pantry in one easy-to-drink, shelf-stable shot. Solving the problem of taking thirty pills and powders a day has been exciting. Then, there’s my personal life, which suffers from the obsessive creative and professional life. My kids are loved, seen, and cared for, but my wife and I are no longer continuing forward in the same way, and that’s been hard. All consuming. But we’ve learned to co-parent as friends, which is a relief. The life of a high-creative with ADHD is a cakewalk. 10/10 would recommend…eye roll.
What time do you wake up?
The question implies you go to sleep. For people that do that, what is that like?
What’s your summer about?
My boys. It’s the first summer I’ve had off in five years, and I’ve made them my mission. I’m booked on back-to-back projects through 2028 and would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified of how this amount of work and travel will impact them and our relationship. I simultaneously feel like I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing in my career journey, and like I’m setting myself up for disappointment at home. Peak Catch-22.
What does it feel like to be you?
Imagine the ugliest war in history. The savage, bloody brutality. The conflicting stories of who’s good and who’s on the wrong side of history. The propaganda vs. the painful reality the boots on the ground are experiencing. The tension of knowing there’s a better way to coincide, but sometimes the only path forward for a nation is to put cancerous ideas to death. This is my inner life before I’ve had a bagel in the morning. The struggle to be a peacemaker and my hatred for much of the order of the universe is a never-ending tug of war.
What are you running from?
Complacency.
What’s the last thing you cooked?
One of my boys has taken an interest in cooking. He’s discovered the joy of filling people with good food. I’ve discovered we can bond for hours over Instagram recipe missions. We find tasty-looking recipes, and go shop for the ingredients, and cook together. Who knows if he’ll remember those days when he’s older. I’ll never forget them.
What do you do when you’re nervous?
I talk out loud about what’s happening in my body. It takes my mind off the hamster wheel of catastrophizing the unknown while focusing on things like elevated heart rate and shallow breathing. I call out those responses in a way that seems to quiet the alarms.
What’s a hill you’ll die on?
Men’s t-shirts should not have collars.
What are you over?
The state of our country.
What doesn’t make sense?
The fact that the above answer is necessary.
What do you love?
Meeting super competent people with a great sense of humor.
Who makes you happy?
My kids in a huge way. Also, I’ve got a small inner circle, but everyone in it is a deep and rich human that cares about more than just the work. It makes me happy to work with my team every day. No bad eggs.
Who do you miss?
My problem, and this is clinical—I hyper-fixate on what’s novel, interesting, and most present. So, I don’t have many relationships because it’s out of sight, out of mind for me. Biologically. I’ve also always been a nomad and lone wolf. Even as a kid, the son of two military veterans, we moved a lot. I had to learn to hold loosely to people. I wonder what it’s like to be those people who have lots of friends. I don’t envy them. I look on with a mix of curiosity and anxiety.
What’s your favorite taste?
Oh my. We could cover a lot of ground here. Let’s say sweets. Like, sweet butter cake from Mastro’s, an amazing cookie dough, that kind of thing.
What’s your greatest temptation?
Psychedelics. A daring blend of expansion and escapism. My life has crowded out that kind of exploration though. Far too busy and way too much responsibility to dabble these days in the outer courts of the divine.
What are you allergic to?
Room temp IQs.
How do you get around?
The fastest cars and bikes on the planet. Not many people know this, but I have several custom-built hypercars and motorcycles that push down into the 0-60 in 1.7 second range. An exciting pastime I love to enjoy when I’m free. Easy to do when I can be anybody behind the window tint.
What’s the last thing you bought?
A hand-built Lambo.
What happens when we die?
The fact that for most people, across all times and cultures, there is a deep and sacred question about this and a desire to continue experiencing reality in some form or fashion indicates that this shared hope won’t be in vain. Nature itself teaches us that nothing is destroyed. Everything has the potential to take on a new and greater shape. Molecules become stars, stars become the dust of planets, the dust of planets breeds people, people become aware, and consciousness reaches into the supernatural. I think we for sure carry on. Once we enter into a relationship with an eternal creator, I think he’d die to continue knowing us. None of this makes sense to me without a personal, creative, and loving architect. It makes all kinds of sense and is redemptive, hopeful, optimistic, and full of good if there is a god and he has an answer for death and what’s beyond.
What are you ignoring?
Some things I want to write for myself. Lots of ideas taking a back seat to louder industry demands right now.
What do you drink too much of?
Electrolyte-flavored water. Hardly ever drink plain water anymore. Why drink tap water when it can be enhanced and taste like Kool-Aid?
What do you do with a free day?
Practice wheelies with my kids.
What are you ready to let go of?
Rejection sensitive dysphoria. One of the darker sides of ADHD. It’s crippling and ruins the most important relationships in my life in a myriad of ways. I’ve hired an ADHD coach to learn ways of managing this side of my brain. It would be cool if every thought that wasn’t met with a ticker-tape parade didn’t feel like a double-barrel shotgun to the lower intestine.
