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Summary
- Alan Ritchson had to fight hard to land the role of Jack Reacher in the Reacher series due to his height not matching the character’s height in the novels.
- Despite being 6’3″ instead of the character’s 6’5″, Ritchson’s casting has been a massive success and his performance has been well-received by both critics and fans.
- The Reacher series with Ritchson in the lead has attracted new viewers and provided a faithful adaptation of the character, leading to the show’s renewal for a third season.
Alan Ritchson‘s portrayal of Jack Reacher in the Amazon Prime Video series Reacher has been a massive success for the latest adaptation of Lee Child’s novels, in all senses of the word. However, Ritchson’s casting in the role was not a sure-fire thing, and the actor has revealed how he was forced to push to get the part when, incredibly, his lack of height became a stumbling block.
At a massive 6’ 3” tall, with a girth that can block a doorway, Ritchson appears to be the perfect embodiment of the action hero, and certainly a step up from Tom Cruise’s appearance as the character in two movies. But it seems that at one point, the relatively small matter of two inches almost lost Ritchson the role he seems to have been born to play.
Speaking with Michael Rosenbaum on the Inside of You podcast, Ritchson shared his reflective thoughts on his casting, noting particularly that he was originally not in the running for the role thanks to him not being quite as tall as his novel-based counterpart. Ritchson said:
“I fought really hard for Reacher. It took months and months and months to convince everybody that I was the guy. You know, I was passed on the first time. I was passed on in the very beginning of the process, like everybody was. And I think that’s because I’m 6’3″ and Reacher’s 6’5″. I think they were trying to, you know, everybody’s trying to get a super-authentic version of Reacher on screen. So, there’s always kind of an asterisk in my mind when it comes to this role. But I had to really fight for that, and now that we’re in it, the career’s exploded because of what happened when Reacher aired.”
Alan Ritchson Is the Perfect Jack Reacher
Lee Child’s written version of Jack Reacher, a former Military Police officer turned drifter, is known for his imposing physique and sharp investigative skills. The character has been a fixture in Child’s novels since his debut in 1997’s The Killing Floor, which was adapted as the first season of the Prime Video series. The challenge of bringing such a well-established character to life on screen required an actor with both the physical presence and acting prowess to convincingly portray the iconic figure.
Enter Alan Ritchson, an actor whose career has spanned various genres and roles, and more importantly, a man with a very impressive and imposing appearance. His casting as Jack Reacher was met with enthusiasm, particularly for matching the character’s physical description from the novels. The question of whether a missing couple of inches mattered to fans was never one that was really addressed, as everything about Ritchson screamed that he was being put into the role of a character he was built to play.
The series, and Ritchson’s performance, have been well-received by both critics and audiences. Fans of the novels have particularly appreciated this more faithful adaptation of the character. Ritchson’s portrayal has been lauded for staying true to the spirit of Lee Child’s creation, providing a satisfying experience for long-time fans while attracting new viewers to the Reacher saga. With the show already renewed for a third season, it seems that any doubts over Ritchson’s casting are now only there to be reminisced on, as it is hard to imagine that the result could have been improved with anyone else in the role.
Reacher‘s first two seasons are available to stream on Prime Video.
Reacher
- Release Date
- February 4, 2022
- Creator
- Nick Santora
- Cast
- Alan Ritchson , Maria Sten , Malcolm Goodwin , Willa Fitzgerald
- Rating
- TV-MA
- Seasons
- 2
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