A woman named Molly Watts paid tribute to the late actor James Ransone on Sunday, revealing that Ransone saved her from a sexual assault when they were neighbors.
“Yesterday I learned that @jamesransone passed away,” Watts wrote on Instagram. “I usually keep things private, but I want to publicly say that I’m so grateful this man exists and that I don’t know if the trajectory of my life would have been the same if he hadn’t existed.”
Watts wrote in an Instagram post that he lives in the same building as Ranson in Chinatown, and that Ranson once saved Ranson from an attacker.
“I was attacked at the entrance to the building. I screamed for help. No one came. My assailant put his hand on my throat to keep me quiet. I couldn’t breathe. I remember being suffocated and unconscious, convinced that I was going to die or be raped. PJ heard my screams and rushed to my aid. He used a bat or a pipe to help me. I don’t know which one because I never saw him move. He scared the attacker and PJ gave chase.” Thanks to the chase, the police were able to identify him, but I don’t know if he would have lived the same life if he hadn’t run away that night. ”
“Even as an adult, I don’t know how I would have been able to cope with the gravity of what could have happened or how long it would take me to recover. I was already emotionally weak. What is particularly difficult for me about PJ’s death is that he lived with such violence. Even though I was saved, he endured in a different way, at an age where he didn’t have any emotional defenses and his ego was still forming.I feel like PJ’s life was haunted by what happened to him.”This world is rarely kind to people who are hurting and acting out. ”
Mr. Ranson died by suicide on December 21 at the age of 46. He was known for playing Ziggy Sobotka on The Wire and the adult Eddie Kaspbrak on IT: Chapter 2. His other recent credits include “Black Phone 2,” “V/H/S/85,” “Small Engine Repair,” “What We Found,” “Poker Face,” “Seal Team,” “50 States of Fright,” and “The First.”
“Over the years, I thought about PJ from time to time,” Watts added. I wanted to reach out to him and tell him how much I appreciated him running towards my screams. I didn’t. That’s a shame. ” She also shared a GoFundMe link to help raise money for Ranson’s family.
