Hollywood and “Lucifer” Help Save Lives: Mark Pellegrino Hosts
Celebrity Premiere of The Last Train to Promote Suicide Prevention
Actors and Attitudes In Reverse® Will Keep Hope Alive for Students in the Wake of Hurricane Harvey
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (September 26, 2017) – Actor Mark Pellegrino (“Lucifer” on Supernatural, “Jacob” on Lost) and his wife Tracy will host the premiere of The Last Train, along with Tricia Baker, Co-Founder of Attitudes In Reverse® (AIR™), a New Jersey-based nonprofit dedicated to saving lives through mental-health and suicide-prevention education. The movie premiere will be held on October 1, 2017 from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Laemmle Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre, 8556 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA. Tickets can be ordered online at www.TheLastTrain.org/. AIR will invest a portion of the donations to educate students in Texas about mental health disorders and suicide prevention and provide long-term support, as many will likely experience a lasting, difficult impact of Hurricane Harvey.
The Last Train is about two strangers who have nothing in common except their despair and plans to end their lives. They find hope and inspiration to give life another chance. Mark Pellegrino is Executive Producer of the film; his wife Tracy is the Director; and Ciera Danielle both produced the film and stars in it, along with Lou Diamond Phillips and Anthony Montes.
Montes Wrote a Play, then the Film, Based on his Experience
The story was originally performed as a play, Subway Suicide, written by Montes, based on his experience. “Once I hit the tracks I thought of my mother. I didn’t want to put her through the pain and decided to jump to my left, clinging onto the fence and pulling myself close to it to avoid being hit. The train clipped me in my left arm, fracturing it. I was lucky,” Montes said.
“I wanted to put a face on what depression looks like, what a suicide survivor looks like. I wanted to use my story to try and help people come down off that razor’s edge,” Montes said. “Because of my play and the film I adapted from it, eight people have contacted me when they were feeling that life was not worth living and were going to take their lives. I was able talk them out of it and persuade them to get professional help.”
The play was performed in a theater with about 45 seats and was followed by a discussion, during which attendees shared their own struggles. “They thanked us for helping take the stigma off of talking about suicide,” Montes said. “I know our film will reach many more people and help spark conversation about the subject of suicide. It will help people recognize depression in their friends and families and not wait until it is too late, to reach out and let them know they are not alone.”
Impact and Goal Align with AIR’s Mission
AIR strives to eliminate stigma, which is the most common reason why people with mental health struggles do not seek help. Education is essential for achieving this goal. Since 2011, AIR has educated more than 60,000 students in middle and high schools, colleges and universities in several states across the country. At the end of every presentation, between 2% and 6% of the students share their mental-health challenges and are referred to mental healthcare professionals or other support, as deemed appropriate.
“I am honestly astounded by AIR,” said Danielle. She learned about AIR from Mark Pellegrino, who is a member of AIR’s Advisory Board. “It’s so especially important that we stay educated about mental health and suicide prevention. The fact that they reach so many people, especially our youth, is really saintly. They are making a big impact on our culture, shifting the ‘hush hush’ view of mental health disorders and bringing it all into the light where we can stay informed and safeguard our children against very real and dangerous pathways,” Danielle added.
“We always knew we were making the film to help the cause of suicide prevention, so partnering with AIR is a natural step for us. We are so grateful that the film can be of service to the cause and to AIR. All the proceeds for the screening will go to AIR. It’s the least we can do,” Danielle said.
“Speaking out in fellowship, the way AIR does at schools, can be a great way for someone at the beginning stages of things, to shift course and change from a destructive path to a constructive one. I couldn’t do that for my best friend, but maybe someone out there can and will be changed by my experience,” Pellegrino said.
Pellegrino’s best friend died by suicide in early 2016. Hours after attending the funeral, Pellegrino met Tricia and Kurt Baker, Co-Founders of AIR, at the premiere of the Supernatural fandom movie, which includes an interview with Tricia as part of the segment on the cast and crew’s philanthropic activities. Supernatural star Jared Padalecki has been supporting AIR through his Always Keep Fighting campaign since June 2015. Other cast and crew members have since become supporters.
“By sharing our grief and offering acceptance, we can spread hope, and heal ourselves in the hope we engender in others. That’s what I want to do within this organization: Keep Hope Alive,” Pellegrino said.
“The Last Train is a powerful film that reinforces Mark’s message, ‘Keep Hope Alive,’” Tricia Baker said. “Mark and many others from Supernatural have inspired thousands of fans to be positive and continually fight to overcome any mental health challenges they may have. We are proud to be partners with Mark and others from this incredibly popular television show in helping to save students’ lives throughout the country and, hopefully, throughout the world.”
“All of us at AIR are deeply grateful for Mark, Tracy and Ciera’s generous offer to donate the proceeds from the movie premiere to AIR. We are currently coordinating with Texas schools to provide mental-health and suicide-prevention education and ongoing support for students,” Tricia said. The traumatic impact of Hurricane Harvey could be long lasting, as was experienced by individuals who were affected by Superstorm Sandy and could likely be the case for those in the path of Hurricane Irma, as well as their family members.
Actors from Supernatural and Other Popular Shows to Attend The Last Train Premiere
Supernatural actor Mark Cohen (“young John Winchester”) will attend the movie premiere, along with Clifton Collins (Westworld), Sean Carrigan (The Young and the Restless), Adam Croasdell (Supernatural, “Baldur”) and Kurt Fuller (Supernatural, “Zachariah”). Many others have been invited.
Following the film will be a panel discussion with Mark and Tracy Pellegrino; Tricia Baker; Ciera Danielle; and Mia St. John, five-time World and International Boxing Champion and founder of the El Saber Es Poder Foundation, which educates and empowers individuals who have mental health disorders and/or addictions and are living in poverty and may be homeless.
Tickets cost $100 for the VIP level and $15 for the Supporter level. The VIP seats will be reserved in the front of the theater. A number of tickets will be free on a limited basis. Online registration at www.TheLastTrain.org/ is required for all levels. All proceeds will support AIR’s mission to save lives through mental-health and suicide-prevention education, including presentations for students in Texas who are affected by Hurricane Harvey.