Actor Alan Ritchson on Playing Jack Reacher

Fred: Reacher of course February 4th on Amazon Prime Video Jack Reacher based on the series from author Lee Child the popular novel series of course the movie with Tom Cruise as well when you got the call that you got this role for the lead as Jack Reacher man what was your reaction?

Alan Ritchson: I cried. I couldn’t believe it. I mean it was a very competitive process. It was a you know what a lot of people don’t know is I was passed on the first time around. I was approached to you know put a tape together for this I was sent a couple scenes and you know I did my best with it went to producers so you know there was something there but you know months you know months went by and you know we didn’t hear anything which you know it just means that it didn’t work out. About six months later I get a call that there was a new casting director on board a new set of sides so new scenes to work with and the casting director had the new one had looked through all the tapes that went to producers from the first round and had hand-picked a few that she wanted to see again that she felt like maybe you know with some news new scenes and new direction could kind of you know maybe you know could continue on.

And it was you know it became very competitive then and you know I’m I just feel lucky that you know that it came back around. It’s something that never happens in this business. And I you know there’s a bit of a chip on my shoulder I wanted to prove myself. The difficult thing about Reacher is he can be rather stoic and say very little. “Reacher said nothing” obviously a famous phrase from the books. And in the books you know we get to live inside his head so there’s you know lee has a way around him saying nothing but us getting that information on screen that’s very difficult. And so when you’re trying to audition this it’s a little tough to know how to you know which side of Reacher we want to see when he’s silent and the first round of auditions was sort of aiming for that and you know I’d say nothing for pages it was tough.

The second time around the scenes were totally different and it was more interactive and you know I ha d more to get my hands around so you know I just I feel very lucky and you know if you know a few months later you know I get the call I was up in my cabin and I couldn’t believe it. You know I’d read all the books at that point and had fallen in love with the series and really wanted it and just couldn’t I was speechless.

Fred: In terms of physically preparing for this role what kind of transformation did you have to go through what kind of work did you have to put in to prepare for the role to be Jack Reacher?

Alan Ritchson: Yeah it was like hitting that the coin box in Mario and I needed the mushroom to pop out so I could size up a little bit. It was just about leveling up a little so you know I walk around at kind of a comfortable for my build kind of a comfortable average weight and you know we decided you know I needed to throw on 30 pounds. I had eight months to do it so I just started working out hard five days a week and trying to add the weight you know and so we got there by the time we started shooting I was there and I think you know his physicality plays an important role in this and the fans have longed for that for a long time and it was important that we gave them you know what they’re craving you know so I yeah I think hopefully we got it there in time.

Fred: The trailer itself on Amazon’s YouTube channel has like 4.3 million views if you add up all the other sites yeah that have it’s like it’s got to be over like five million views combined or more across YouTube and all these different platforms this is pretty freaking awesome on your end right I looked at the comments and there are so many people that are happy there are Jack Reacher fans they’re like yes this is the representation of Jack Reacher he’s supposed to be 6’5 and jack and this and that and there’s the other people who have been fans of yours for a long time you know from ninja turtles to titans to all the other great work that you’ve done so how does it feel so far without the show even being out yet at the time we’re recording this to get love from the Jack Reacher fans and from the fans that have followed you pretty much every step of the way?

Alan Ritchson: It feels good man I mean you know if it’s great to you know to feel like you’re in the right place at the right time. You know but at the end of the day it’s about the work to me you know it’s about you know so far people are fixated on one attribute of Reacher which is one that’s really out of my control largely you know my genetics or my genetics if I happen to look like Reacher it wasn’t because I did anything. You know so what I care about is what’s in you know what I have control over and that’s the essence and characteristics of Reacher that you know you get when you’re inside a scene.

And I poured every ounce of love and energy that I had into the scenes and I you know I as a fan myself I think it’s I think you see Reacher on screen. I hope people agree but that’s the litmus test for me is when people have binged the series will they still will they still be you know feel comfortable with this casting choice I hope so I’m optimistic but you know time will tell.

Fred: One of the clips that’s making rounds for media and fans everything is the epic prison scene yeah yeah the first step so you actually had a couple of them you know where you got the bunk bed and you whoop that guy’s ass and everything but then he had another one that was a little bit crazier not to give too much away how long did it take to film all that?

Alan Ritchson: Well to film it you know that’s the funny thing about this business you know we spent a couple months training for that moment perfecting everything making sure that every every split second is accounted for and everybody’s in the right place at the right time so that when we get to set and those cameras are there no no time is wasted because of us you know if there’s a problem with a light or a lens like that’s fine but as long as it’s not our fault you know we don’t want to slow the day down. We had one day to shoot that fight. We spent the entire day shooting that fight and I was beyond spent at the end of that day walking through that as many times as we did but it was you know it was with great joy to know that you know one of the most iconic fights I n the series is was in the can and I felt like we got it right and now people are starting to enjoy it you know as we did so you know it feels good it feels good.

Fred: Awesome well before we let you go of course people could check out Reacher February 4th Amazon Prime Video we always like to ask our guests some kind of random rapid fire questions are you ready?

Alan Ritchson: Sure.

Fred: Favorite cheat meal.

Alan Ritchson: Oh sweet butter cake from astros.

Fred: Sounds delicious. Hypothetically speaking what would be jack’s favorite spot in margrave his favorite spa his favorite spot like his favorite place?

Alan Ritchson: Oh Reacher and a spy I cannot see no massages for this dude. His favorite spot in margrave I think the barber shop makes sense that’s some good companies sort of source of information it’s the hub of info people like to talk but it’s also a place to lay back and be yourself some barbershop all day.

Fred: One line in the pilot was yo Jack Reacher no middle name hypothetically speaking what would be Jack Reacher’s middle name?

Alan Ritchson: None. I mean there is no I mean how can we give them I don’t know do we give him a nickname jack the beast Reacher I don’t know how do you make Jack Reacher more intimidating I don’t.

Fred: That’s fair all-time favorite movie.

Alan Ritchson: Oh oh man oh there’s so many la la land is one okay I’m obsessed with la la land I love musicals and to see let’s find richard in a musical someday I think that’s gonna be the season that kills but goonies was one of my all-time favorite movies too it was you know just a product of the era.

Fred: Without giving too much away about the series was there anything you learned about the character or yourself as an actor in the filming of research.

Alan Ritchson: Yes I learned that sugar glass is horse sugar glass hurts probably 10 times more than real glass and I know because I took that vase in the head and I had a beanie on and I was still bleeding sugar glass to the head no bueno. And the stunt guys told me afterwards as I was mopping the blood off my face like I didn’t think that this would do this to me and that oh yeah sugar glass sends a lot of dudes at the hospital people don’t realize how bad it hurts can you guys tell me that before I get smashed in the f ace with it please next time a lot of miscommunication there or actually it wasn’t me they knew it they knew it was gonna happen they just it was my initiation into that club you know sugar glass hurts like hell that’s what I’m saying.

Fred: Hey you got through it e for effort and we’ll get you out of here on this in one line or less why should people check out Reacher on Amazon Prime Video?

Alan Ritchson: It’s going to be the best show on TV.

Fred: There you go Alan thank you so much for your time it was absolute pleasure definitely looking forward to checking out the rest of the series.

Alan Ritchson: Thanks man nice talking to you.

Fred: Nice talking to you.