Why Alan Ritchson HATED Filming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 

I had no idea he was in those movies, so he's absolutely right lol.

Proof they didn’t give a shit about the story, characters or even cast and just wanted to make money

This is kinda sad to hear because I think all the actors who played the Turtles in the 2014 and 2016 TMNT movies did a great job despite how badly they were treated. It's so funny how Megan Fox and Will Arnett were treated so much better when their characters were really bland and forgettable.

It's upsetting that Alan thinks he shouldn't complain just because he's an actor, but first and foremost he's a human being deserving of respect. He worked so hard on those films, same with his TMNT actor counterparts. He has every right to critique everyone involved in this disrespect towards him. Not cool.

Why would he think this would make him look like a spoiled actor? He’s a disgruntled worker who got screwed by his employer.

For how great of an actor he is, definitely didn’t deserve to be treated like that.

This is a good example why the strike began

The actors that played the 4 turtles WERE the movie. Without them, you would have nothing. I loved how they each did their roles and they will always be remembered. To find out how bad they were treated and how underpaid they were.... makes me both angry and sad. All 4 of them were awesome and, i heard, easy to work with. I hope, at the very least, this led to many more GOOD acting roles in the future. I know that he is playing Reacher and i absolutely love that show. The producers and management should really be ashamed for how they treated them.....

It's so weird to see Thad speaking like a normal person.

I love how he said "the turtles!" Like, just the absolute disgust.

Absolutely love Alan as an actor. He's got integrity, passion and drive. I've loved every role he's played that I've seen so far and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves. As someone else mentioned, Reacher is amazing and a good test of his acting prowess. He is very entertaining to watch and that's the point.

As someone who's trying to get into acting and writing and stuff, this is a very helpful insight as to what kind of behavior can be expected from certain companies and directors and whatnot.

When he was told there wouldn't be a third film he was probably like "Oh thank god!"

The fact that they treated THE Thad Castle so poorly is disgusting

The 2014 TMNT movie was apart of my childhood and it makes me sad that they were treated so uncaring in the production.

I absolutely loved the version of Raphael that he played. He actually did a pretty good job. Props to him.

I'm with Alan Ritchson. Treat everyone with respect.

He looks like he could be a football captain at a 4 year university

Thankfully it's February 2022 and Reacher is a MONSTER. This guy paid his dues and ANYONE who has worked with Alan knows he's the nicest guy to work with. Alan see you and Catt in Ontario in April!! Love you both!! L.M.

Those kind of experiences inadvertently make you a better person, he as a producer treats people he wishes he was treated. So he took a negative experience and turned it into a positive one… awesome!!

It doesn't matter if your job is being an actor or inseminating turkeys management should be treating all employees in a professional manner.

Alan is one of the guys who should be alot bigger than he is.

I 100% believe him. Sometimes he goes on rants and his delivery is a bit unhinged but Alan is not a liar. He has no reason to lie. He gains nothing from lying. He has enough situational awareness to call it like it is. Good on him to call out the unfair treatment. No shame in that. I don't think it was him complaining about his job at all. "my wife is gonna stab me when I get home."😂I hope she wasn't mad cause he was speaking his truth. I actually only remember him as Raphael.

It makes me so happy to see him know recognised and cemented as a great actor, his role as Jack reacher is absolutely fantastic

Hopefully he doesn’t get blacklisted for coming out against the studio. He seems like a cool guy

Refreshing to hear someone be honest about how studios/directors/producers treated the actors like garbage rather than the obnoxious fawning over how great the director was.

It was a valueable lesson he learnt, and it might have been necessary, because his ending statement in this video shows that bc of his bad experience he is now extra careful in treating others in the best way possible as a producer 👏

Alan is a very underrated actor...from blue mountain state to titans to reacher dude has skills 👏

Honestly a bummer to hear that he was treated so badly.

I feel like it was a divine intervention that the second movie bombed, so they were free of that contract

I'm so happy that he is getting more attention and opportunities, the dude is a great actor, he deserves.

The first time I heard about Alan as a child was through his role as Raphael, but that was because I was curious about who played the Turtles and chose to google it. I didn’t see him, or any of the other Turtle actors, for that matter, in ads for the movies. They all deserved more recognition.

Those turtles look like gears of wars locust on steroids

He's a REALLY good Raphael though.

I loved him as Raphael! He was always my favorite ninja turtle! I'm kinda upset about this. He was perfect for the role. Wait Megan and Will got treated differently?! It was called the teenage mutan ninja turtles?! They're the MAIN CHARACTERS!! Wtf! I loved the new movies! I'm sad they might not come out with a third.

Wow, I’m so impressed by his transparency and overall awareness of the situation. He admits that he and his colleagues were treated poorly within this part of the industry but he’s also humble over the knowledge that ppl r going through much worse.

Reacher is a 10/10. His portrayal of the character is prodigious and I can't wait for season 2. Bravo, Alan.

As far as I'm concerned, Alan Ritchson must have been REALLY naive if he really thought that movie would make him famous like Andy Serkis.

I love how this dude is always a 100% honest.

I see where he pulls his rage from when he's acting as Hawk in Titans :p

Lets also remember that Michael Bay was producer on them

Those terrible terrible bastards. None of these sweet men deserved this, I wish I could have helped them some way, even though I was only nine and they have no idea I exist. But if any of them, for some crazy reason see this, I’m so so so sorry you had to experience this abuse. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a HUGE part of my life and honestly might have saved me from doing something rash. When I was younger, school was horrible for me I’d get bullied not just by students but by teachers, I’m autistic and they treated me like a monster. When this came out, I finally found my people, my friends, my heroes, my second family. I know the ninja turtles aren’t real, but you guys brought them to life and saved me. I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear after all the bullshit these scumbags put you through, but you guys saved my life and I can’t be more grateful to you. Thank you, I love you guys.

I’m so happy that Reacher happened, Alan deserves it.

this guy is talented, he did a good role as AquaMan, in Smallville.

Raphael staying in his angry character even after the movie is over. Good for him lol

I started watching him when he was "Blue Mountain State"

How poetic is that that they treated the turtles actors just like how the humans treat the turtles 🐢 in their *fictional* world

I didn’t know Hawk was also a TMNT and hearing his side of the story is so heartbreaking, and he’s a really good actor too that’s a shame, we appreciate the honesty, honestly.

This dude is talented af , he needs more leading roles sucks to hear he was treated like this

Much respect to Alan and all hard-working actors who are stuffed over by the studio's etc.

Been watching Alan since his hilarious blue mountain state Thad role and happy to see him find success in Reacher. Can't wait to see him in Fast X!

This convinces me that the anger and frustration Raph had throughout the movies is not acting... *its fucking real*

Ashamed to admit I didn’t know he was a part of those films, love his personality even that much more now.

Totally appreciate him saying this candidly. Speaks so much to his character to defend his other co workers. If I was a main star of a show and they didn't pay me overtime I'd be friggen livid. Like what the heck is that.

I met him when he was doing that movie for rooster teeth, and he is super nice and humble, actually got yt red just to watch the movie, dudes awesome been a fan ever since!!

The way he explains it. Sounds exactly like how the movie was portrayed. The movie should of been called “Megan fox movie with special guest the teenage mutant turtles” no cares about April o Neal she was the useless chick that drove the van.

You'd think a movie about the ninja turtles would treat the actors who played them well 🤦‍♂️

Bro played one of the main Nina Turtle's and got treated like absolute trash....What kind of world are we living in,especially compared to the new TMNT film and the respect those people are given and bee grounds or not this is absolutely disgusting in all aspects

So glad that someone is finally honest. This is the same garbage that happens to people no matter what the job - promises made, that never materialize. Poor working conditions. It's refreshing to hear someone call them out on their abuse. It certainly can't get better if everybody remains silent. Where there is money, there is exploitation.

Thad Castle seems very professional in this pre draft interview

This man kept it all-the-way honest, and his awareness and compassion about how people with tougher jobs might hear him really stands out. Salute

I just binged Reacher. You were awesome. I hope you become the next Superman. I've seen some RU-vidrs mention you as a candidate. I had to go back to IMDB to even see what TMNT movies you were in. I'm so on your side on this. I'm glad things are working out for you.

I've seen Alan since Bms as my boy thad and seen behind the scenes of being goofy. Now seeing him as mature is cool

I feel bad for him and the rest of the cast who played the turtles. They did a great job portraying them even tho the design was..... well ..... questionable at best

I think he would fit the show Vikings pretty good.

I think actors should talk about shitty productions so that other actors are warned about shitty producers. AND it is really important to talk about live action contracts and how they were used to screw the actors. That is not whining dude. That is called PAY THE ARTIST. Not pay the superstar. Not treat the superstar well. PAY THE ARTIST and RESPECT THE ARTIST. Because very few artists will ever be superstars, but that doesn't mean they should be treated badly or underpaid... What would our world be without artists? Boring and ugly, that's what.

i some 1st in blue mountain state and he is my most memorable character of the show.. he has so much range seeing his body of work after.... goos to see him thriving after all this ✌🏾✌🏾

The movie was called TMNT, the actors who played the turtles should've been paid more then the other two.

He should’ve listened to his gut and not take the job

God I loved these movies as a kid. Raph will always be my favorite but after hearing his side of the story it’s sad how they treated him and the rest of the crew.. I love Alan more as Hawk from Titans and even if Titans isn’t the best show, inherently, it’s one of my favorite shows and even tho I didn’t like how Hawk died I though that was a better story arc then both TMNT movies combined. Alan is a great actor and aside from Reacher I don’t like how Hollywood treats him. He deserves better…😕

I’ve been a fan of this guy for years, blue mountain state, smallville, he’s hilarious in the wedding ringer lol

So many of Alan's roles are memorable, Thad Castle, Hank Hall, Aquaman, the list goes on, yet he is still treated badly and super underrated, its sad to see

IF and ONLY IF they couldn’t get Chris to be captain America, I’d want this guy.

He’s not a “household name” per say, but I am a bit more familiar with him than most. I think he was great in Blue Mountain State as Thad, great in Above The Shadows as an MMA champion, and great in the first thing I seen him in (Smallville as Aquaman). I think he fits the bill wonderfully as a lot of superhero type characters because of his build. I think he would be a good fit in the future for the MCU. All that being said, I had absolutely no clue he was in the film! I thought the Turtles were all CGI! So yeah... he’s right about what he said, he wasn’t necessarily a “part of it”.

Holy crap. He got huge for Reacher... he looks like CGI Steve Rogers before the Super Soldier serum.

"I hated it so much that I started hitting the gym."

See this the side of the entertainment industry most people don’t talk about. Smh this sad.

That’s really messed up, I don’t blame you for hating it

Gonna miss you in titans. Hopfully you come back for special events etc.

It’s sad to say but venting like this can kill your career.

Good actor: blue mountain state, titans, smallville, and hunger games

He's not wrong. I love Alan Ritchson, and had no idea he worked on Ninja Turtles.

Reacher was a great show. In all honesty I was skeptical because of his BMS character but he proved me wrong. I saw a clip of the jail cell scene and that did it for me. I really enjoyed it and can't wait for season two. Glad he is getting the recognition for his hard work!

He's great on Titans as Hawk, his talent was wasted.

If you haven't seen Blue Mountain State, you have to, he's hilarious in it. Even if you don't like sports or football, the show isn't even about that it's about all the partying and hilarity. It's kind of like Community meets Always Sunny with a sprinkle of Jackass.

Good that he finally Landed a Great Role that fits perfectly for him 'Jack Reacher' ⭐️

He went from sounding like Raphael, to looking like Raphael.... 😮😮

So sad how they treat young actors. Alan actually has some clout. Imagine how they treat complete unknowns, or the stunt team.

Never take someone's word for any business deals, make sure it's written down in the contract!

Great interview. 👍

He's not wrong. I didn't even know he played one of the turtles until seeing this clip, and I can't name a single actor who played the other ones.

I’m glad to see him in Titans, hopefully he’s being treated well there

Such a shame to hear this news.Alan was so solid as Raphael.

It's so satisfying that Alan's career has been on the up recently so all these comments about the TMNT production didn't tank his career which is dope. He deserves all the success he gets!

I love that he shared. It gives so much insight. They should have been treated better, whether they were the leads of the movies or not.

He is awesome as Hawk in Titans

He’s gonna get more publicity from this than the movie they failed him

Dude, I feel absolutely horrible. Those movies were my first introduction to anything related TMNT. I fell in love with them as a kid and forced my Mom to rewatch them with me multiple times. And guess what? 7 years later, I decided to rewatch them for some nostalgia and and ended up in the rottmnt fandom. And I've been having a blast since. To know that the actors were treated horribly while having all these broken promises makes my blood boil. It hurts because even major TMNT fans barely talk about the movies while theirs people like me that loved them. There's a special place in hell for people like that. To treat the stars of the whole thing like garbage is a new low.

Watched Reacher. Then BMS. Holy shit.

This man is a legend. Has been an absolute star in everything he's been in and deserves nothing but the best. Big up's on the honesty brother we greatly appreciate it.