How Harrison Ford Influences Alan Ritchson's Reacher Performance

Ask Alan Ritchson which action hero's footsteps Jack Reacher follows in, and the answer might surprise you: this week, the "Reacher" star told Variety that he thinks his hulking, skull-knocking do-gooder shares some DNA with Harrison Ford action heroes of decades past. Why? Both men tend to grumble their way through their action scenes as if they're spitting mad at the idea of having to pause whatever they were already doing that day to kick some butt.

"The way that he can make you laugh as he grunts the line through gritted teeth," Ritchson tells the outlet, "We don't have a lot of men that can do that these days." Variety cites both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone as two '80s stars whose work the actor admires, but Ford brings something different to the table, a quality that Jack Reacher has too. "It's something that I like to bring to characters," Ritchson says. "That grizzled malice while finding a way to remain likable."

This is an apt comparison, given that the version of the hero adapted from Lee Child's book series for Prime Video is funny and endearing despite his Neanderthal exterior and habit of killing half the people he comes across. Reacher isn't nearly as quippy as, say, Indiana Jones, but he's certainly as grumpy. In the show's first season especially (season 2 reveals him to have a close old friend group), the character postures as a sort of larger-than-life mystery man who's content saying as few words as possible. It's a schtick that gets old quickly, but the show gives it a rest eventually — and milks it for a few good jokes in the meantime.