One of the unspoken secrets of Hollywood is that actors, similar to athletes, have long used “performance-enhancing drugs” in order to achieve a certain level of fitness. Who, exactly? That’s not for us to speculate on.

alan ritchson as reacher

While most actors have long kept that part of their career a secret, though, Reacher star Alan Ritchson has been refreshingly open about his use of testosterone, so much so that he sees himself of something of an advocate for the chemical.

When asked by BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast — Ritchson is promoting his new film Ordinary Angels, which hits theaters on February 22 — whether or not opening up about his testosterone usage was something he had to discuss with his managers, agents, PR people, etc., Ritchson plainly stated that he did not ask anyone “permission” to talk about it.

As for why he’s had such candor when it comes to the topic, Ritchson explains that testosterone had such an immensely positive impact on his life that he wants to share it with others.

“No, I didn’t ask [my team] permission to talk about it,” Ritchson said.

“It’s something meaningful and effective in my life and I don’t want to keep it a secret. I genuinely believe that it can help a lot of men who need help with mood balance or restoring muscle loss or have a lot of the symptoms that I had — when you have no testosterone — trouble breathing, there’s no hemoglobin transfer, there’s a lot of reasons why it’s a good idea for a lot of people,” he explained.

“And if I can be a voice in helping to destigmatize that as a problem, I mean, this is a natural chemical your body makes, it’s wonderfully effective and it can add a lot of vitality to your life. Why would I want to keep that a secret? I want you to feel your best and if there’s a way to help you reach that, then great. It’s something that I need and benefit from, so I’m happy to share it.”

Ordinary Angels — directed by Jon Gunn — also stars Hilary Swank, Nancy Travis, Tamala Jones, Amy Acker, Drew Powell, and more.

In addition to discussing Ordinary Angels, Reacher, and his acting debut on Smallville, Ritchson also spoke to us about the growing section of movie fans who would like to see him cast as Batman in James Gunn’s DCU.