New Mexican actor Todd Latourette has come out and admitted to cutting off his own arm and posing as a war veteran in the hopes of landing more roles. More specifically, as he puts it: ""I severed my hand with a skill saw...the state of my mind was a psychotic episode." Latourette is diagnosed as bipolar and during a brief period seventeen years ago he went off his medication. It was during this period that he sawed off the limb.
Latorette claims that it helped him find work and that in coming out and admitting to it, he'll get fewer roles. With one arm and as a supposed veteran, "the film industry obviously took a different angle. That I was different. And so they liked that." One of the recent roles Latourette got was in the 5th episode of Better Caul Saul's 4th season.
Although Latourette is getting nationwide attention for his admission, he maintains that he's sabotaging his career by coming out with the truth: "I was dishonorable. I'm killing my career by doing this, if anyone thinks this was for personal edification, that's not the case. I'm ousting myself from the New Mexico Film Industry. And gladly so, just to say what I've said."
He also had some words of advice for anyone on medication:
“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.”
[via]