9-1-1’s Ryan Guzman bravely opened up about his mental health struggles, revealing a past suicide attempt and urging men to seek help.
Guzman, known for his role on the FOX drama and the Step Up franchise, disclosed the attempt during an interview on the ‘I’ve Never Said This Before’ podcast.
“I tried, at one point in time, to take my own life,” Guzman said, describing the experience as a “mental health crisis” that happened years ago.
The actor credited a second chance and the loss of his friend and co-star tWitch, who died by suicide in 2022, as shaping his perspective.
Guzman also opened up about the passing of his friend and ‘Step Up’ costar tWitch, who reportedly died by suicide in 2022, saying that such moments “have allowed [him] to have a deeper sense of mercy and empathy towards every individual.”
He shared that he recently posted a dance video on Instagram as a tribute to tWitch, overcoming a fear he had held since Step Up.
In the caption, he wrote, “Since Step Up, I’ve been so afraid to dance. For fear of being judged on the principle, I played a professional dancer in a movie and was held to a standard of dance I couldn’t uphold.”
He continued, “It was Twitches voice in my head that reminded me to get out of my head and dance for the fun of it. Laugh at yourself. Be goofy. Mess up. But most of all, be vulnerable and feel the music.
“In your honor Twitch, I danced for the first time in a long time n let go of the fear.”
Guzman, whose character on 9-1-1 also grapples with severe PTSD from his time as an army medic, hopes his story inspires others, particularly men, to seek help.
“Lean on your brother,” he advised on the podcast, challenging the stereotype of ‘toxic masculinity.’
Looking back, Guzman sees his darkest moment as a turning point. “From that moment forward, I’ve taken each step as an opportunity to erase what got me there and build on what allowed me to live for,” he concluded to DiDario.
