Reacher star Alan Ritchson recently got to star in Guy Ritchie’s spy comedy The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The actor played the role of a real-life Danish soldier Anders Lassen, who was part of the special operatives executive, which was started by Winston Churchill during World War II. The film also starred Henry Cavill and Henry Golding.
Ritchson reportedly had a hand in designing and pitching some of the action sequences in the film. He mentioned how he and his stuntman Ryan Tarran would come up with interesting ideas based on the preparation he had done for the character, and pitch it to Ritchie. The actor specified one risky scene, for which he got his team to film for Ritchie to understand.
Alan Ritchson Prepared Extensively For Guy Ritchie’s Film
Actor Alan Ritchson became a worldwide star when he began starring as Jack Reacher in the Amazon Prime Video series Reacher. Based on Lee Child’s novels, the show has received critical acclaim for both of its seasons and has also been renewed for a third season. Ritchson’s performance as the ex-military man was lauded.
The actor was recently seen in Guy Ritchie’s latest spy comedy titled The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which is based on the legendary special forces operation that existed during World War II. The film also starred Henry Cavill, Henry Golding, Carry Elwes, and Eiza González among others. Ritchson played the role of Danish soldier Anders Lassen.
Ritchson mentioned that he prepared extensively for the role. He said that he made it a point to train in archery while he was filming for Reacher so that he would be ready for the film. He told EW,
“I really wanted to pay respect to Anders Lassen and to the team of people that paved the way for the rest of us to have real freedoms and equality…Me and my stuntman, Ryan Tarran…would go train together at an archery course to the point where we would be prepared for any scenario that we’d find on set. I could run and dive and slide and shoot arrows from any position, moving forward or backward.”
The actor mentioned that his training in archery paid off as he was asked to perform for a scene with the bow and arrow when he first entered the sets of the film. He said that he had just wrapped his portions for Reacher season 2 before immediately leaving for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
Alan Ritchson Pitched Action Sequences To Guy Ritchie
Apart from his brand of gangster comedies, Guy Ritchie is known for his attention to detail. The filmmaker reportedly had particular ways in which he wanted accessories on his actors and knew how to place a certain accessory for the actor to look good. He was also reportedly open to figuring out the film while shooting.
Alan Ritchson mentioned that he had some arguments with the filmmaker about how intense some sequences should be as he had read multiple books about his character Anders Lassen. He said that he even pitched a bloodier action sequence, which he did a pre-viz for along with his stuntman, that was approved by Ritchie (via EW).
The Blue Mountain State star also recalled one incident where he pitched a shot to the filmmaker to give a smooth flow to the scenes. He said that his character was written to be on a vessel without mentioning how he got on. Ritchson said on Instagram that he and his stuntman Ryan Tarran quickly got together a few stuntmen to execute a shot that would introduce his character and then so pitched it to Ritchie. He said,
“We quickly cut it together on my phone and showed Guy and his team. Everyone liked the idea and we were given the green light to shoot it later that night. This is one example of how my team and I work hard to add value to every film we’re a part of…If you’re an actor new to the business, please know this is highly, highly unusual. If you’re going to try to pitch an idea of your own, it would definitely be wise to vet it first with other departments…before trying to corner the big cheese.”
The actor also mentioned that he loved such creative challenges on a film set and that he and his team worked together to add value. He also mentioned that he chose to shoot before asking Guy Ritchie because he assumed that the filmmaker would be busy managing all the departments to properly visualize it.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is currently playing in theaters.
