Alan Ritchson Has Several Tricks That Help Him Play Jack Reacher [Exclusive]
Bestselling author Lee Child's "Jack Reacher" book series focuses on a protagonist who never, ever fails. The titular Reacher is a one-man unit, untraceable and unkillable, who moves efficiently from one place to another like a phantom and bests the bad guys by the end of every case. However, Reacher's humanity is an essential aspect of his character — his deliberate isolation is a double-edged sword, a cross he has to bear for the sake of being the best at what he does. Prime Video's "Reacher," with its second season now underway, perfectly balances this aspect of Reacher's personality, with Alan Ritchson bringing the beloved hero to life in all his dynamic, idiosyncratic glory as he moves on from Margrave and solves a fresh mystery in the upcoming season.
/Film's Jacob Hall attended a press day for the newest season of "Reacher," where Ritchson spoke at length about balancing strength with intelligence for a character mostly known for being the buffest dude in the room. Ritchson credited showrunner and writer Nick Santora for this balancing act, along with Child for creating a nuanced character like Reacher:
"I tap right into Nick Santora's brain, our showrunner. It'd be really nice if I could just take credit for all the witty, wonderfully intelligent, verbose bits of dialogue and exposition I've got to say on the show, but the writing is so good. Nick Santora, our showrunner, understands who Reacher is and the humor of the show, how dark to make the show or Reacher. He understands the tone perfectly and I just have to get out of the way. [...] We've got two great writers involved in this. We've got Lee Child who set the stage, and then we've got Nick Santora and his team of writers."
Humanizing Jack Reacher
Child meant for Reacher to break the mold of established crime-thriller protagonists who were mostly anti-heroes bogged down by their demons, and always at war with themselves. While Reacher's past does tint his worldview, his sight remains fixed on the future while firmly rooted in the present. Moreover, his vagabond lifestyle is not escapist, but a necessity to become an untraceable man who can intervene and set things right and leave unnoticed. In many ways, he is a legend, a Paul Bunyan-esque figure on a never-ending mission of uncovering lies, conspiracies, and shady cover-ups, where he uses his brute strength to his favor.
When asked about the challenges of playing such a larger-than-life character, Ritchson talked about the necessity of humanizing and ground someone who is "mythologically large in our minds," by identifying the innately human purpose that drives such an interesting individual:
"I think there's something very human driving him, this undeniable pursuit of righteousness in his own way. He's got his own rules, his own set of laws, but there's something very human about his desire to see right done and wrong eliminated in the world. I think as long as I remain faithful to that desire then I'm connecting to his humanity."
Both in the books and the show, Reacher demonstrates this need to eliminate evil without any vested interests, where the only goal is to fix as many wrongs as possible and keep moving forward. Such uncompromising discipline and ethical conviction come with personal sacrifices, but Reacher does not dwell on these difficult decisions — he makes these choices with sincere logic and empathy, wandering toward the next nefarious conspiracy waiting to be uncovered with cool, quiet confidence.
The first three episodes of "Reacher" season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video.