Jason has supported Samaritans for a number of years and is a keen mental health advocate, particularly around the help available to people in prisons.
In a career spanning over 30 years, actor Jason has featured in numerous films and TV shows including cult classics Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Black Mirror and The Missing – among plenty more.
Very sadly, Jason has been bereaved by suicide twice, losing two close friends at an early age.
As a keen mental health advocate, he has spoken out about toxic masculinity and the importance of opening up and talking – especially among middle-aged men, who have the highest rate of suicide.
Speaking to Metro in September 2022 for World Suicide Prevention Day, Jason explained: “When I got upset, I used to hide it from my sons, but actually seeing me cry is really good for them, because then they know it’s okay to cry and get upset about stuff. I try and do that now, and let them see me that way, to normalise male emotions.”
A particular passion of Jason’s is supporting people in prison, a place he frequently visits: “Those lads feel like they’re a maligned and forgotten group of the population.
“There’s a lot of people who don’t have massive sympathy with people in prison, but the journey to prison encompasses an enormous variety of people.
“My podcast More Than My Past looks at the cycle of reoffending and speaking to former prisoners who manage to break free and get on the right path. That takes an enormous amount of strength, to go from a mental health crisis in prison to a new life.
“I’m inspired by anyone who is suicidal and who manages to get out of that hole and turn their life around. I find it incredibly humbling to be in that situation. I’ve always been glass half full and the cards have fallen right for me, but that is chance and luck. It doesn’t happen like that for everyone.”