This Actor Cut Off His Own Arm and Has Been Posing as a War Veteran to Get Roles
Todd Latourette, an actor who has appeared on TV shows like Better Call Saul and in George Clooney's 2009 film The Men Who Stare at Goats, admitted this week that he has been pretending to be an Iraq war veteran who lost his arm in combat.
He also admitted that — brace yourselves here... — he cut off his own right arm during a "psychotic episode" years ago.
Opening up to KOB4, Latourette told the media outlet that he suffers from bipolar disorder and, while off his medication around 2001, he "severed [his own] hand with a Skil saw."
After harming himself, Latourette, who is currently back on his medication, decided to steal valor in an effort to get jobs in the film and TV industry.
"[The industry] trusted me that I was exactly who I said I was. I was a war veteran. I was hired because I lied...I was dishonorable," he shared, noting that he was likely "killing his career" by admitting the truth.
As for why he made up his mind to come clean now, the actor said that his decision was made in order to spread awareness for mental illness and urge those suffering to be proactive.
"The power is in your hands to take your medication in the morning, or at night. So that, this, this discourse of my life doesn’t need to necessarily be yours. Because it happens quick … it happens quick."