A Look Back at James Ransone’s Life & How Acting Saved Him as a Child

James Ransone, beloved for his roles in “The Wire,” “It Chapter Two,” “Generation Kill,” and “Bosch,” has died by suicide, the New York Post reports. He passed away on Friday, December 19, and was 46. 

Ransone leaves behind an incredible body of work with multiple roles in series and films. He had a hard childhood, unable to fit in, and he has spoken openly about being a survivor of abuse and his prior substance abuse struggles. For the actor, his craft was much more than a job; it was a solace. 

James Ransone Was ‘Saved’ By Acting School 

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In an interview with Ethan Sapienza for Interview magazine in 2016, Ransone opened up about how he started acting. “I did not fit in well with all of the kids,” he shared. “Adolescence was a really hard time for me — as I think it is for most kids. It’s so uncomfortable. With normal public schools, I used to have a really hard time with them.”

It was thanks to his mom, who found a solution and came across a school for the arts. Ransone recalled how it came about and how he was desperate to join. “I would be the first fully graduating class, so it would be really easy to get in. I was like, ‘Yes. I’ll do anything to get away from these people,’” he said. “I think it saved me as a kid. Going to arts school saved me.”

An Unexpected Path Into Acting

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Although getting away from the children in public school was the right move for Ransone, he was honest in saying he did not necessarily find acting therapeutic. “I still wrestle with the catharsis of acting. I don’t end up playing a lot of likable characters, so I find myself living in a lot of unlikable skin,” he said. “As a result of that I don’t always feel good. I get a lot more catharsis from taking pictures, painting, or making short films. You have some control.”

He also admitted in his interview that he didn’t “really like actors,” but he did end up going to film school, only to fail it in New York. “I failed out because I didn’t show up to class,” he shared. His journey toward becoming a recognized actor took time, and at one point, he felt he would become a musician instead. He would eventually get his big break and get sober after struggling with heroin for five year.

Ransone spoke honestly and authentically about his life, for which he was complimented in an interview with Anthem in 2019. In his interview, he was told he is “always real,” and that inauthenticity would make him combust. His reply? “I wish I knew how to be another way, dude, I really do. I think my life would be much easier,” he shared.

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