It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Alan Ritchson in the role of the humungous Jack Reacher in Amazon Prime Video’s Reacher. Film viewers only knew Tom Cruise as Reacher earlier, however, fans of the books still frown upon the casting of Cruise despite his stellar performance. Ritchson appealed to both audiences as the perfect Reacher, but fans would be surprised to know that he almost missed the opportunity if it was not for a second look at his passed-over audition tape.
Ritchson’s Reacher is based on the Jack Reacher book series by Lee Child. Reacher Season 1 was based on the first book, Killing Floor, and Season 2 was based on the book, Bad Luck and Trouble. Ritchson quickly became a popular star with his lead role in the series.
Alan Ritchson Underwent Rigorous Auditions For Reacher After Getting Rejected At First
Alan Ritchson starred in a few small roles before he got his big break in Reacher in 2022. Ritchson opened up about how he landed his fan-favorite role while appearing on the Inside of You podcast. The Fast X actor revealed that he was passed on the first time when he auditioned for the role. Ritchson had to convince the producers that he was the one among 2,000 other actors for his audition.
He shared that the sides given to him by the then-casting directors were not ‘audition’ material. For his side, he had to channel the famous ‘Reacher said nothing’ part from the books, and he had little idea how to bring that look for an audition tape. He shared with the Inside of You podcast with Michael Rosenbaum:
“They passed on me the first time. They passed on everybody their first time. I was approached about this, as [were] probably 2,000 other guys, and I put a tape together. The sides that they gave us weren’t the most conducive to an audition, because it was all about capturing that stoic ‘Reacher said nothing’ thing from the books.”
Ritchson finally took the most inappropriate inspiration for the audition, “the guy from Waterworld who’s like, ‘Give me the paper.'” Ritchson put together an audition tape and sent it to the team but didn’t hear back for quite some time. He was aware that he didn’t tape well and added that the initial casting directors hated his tape. Ritchson shared his initial audition experience on the Inside of You podcast:
“They hated it. The tape went to the producer. I got a call that it was interesting. They sent it to producers and then it just never went further.”
The Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor had almost given up on the role when the Reacher team called him back. The producers brought in a new casting director who went over the tapes once again, but this time with different criteria in mind. Something about Ritchson in the role clicked with her and he was called back to do more auditions. The process didn’t get any easier as he took seven or eight auditions before the series finally fixed him as the lead.
Fans Now Want Alan Ritchson To Play Batman In James Gunn’s DCU
The role in Reacher brought more exposure to Alan Ritchson. He was cast in Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare alongside Henry Cavill. But most importantly, a fan campaign started to promote him as the next Batman actor in the DCU. The casting for the superhero has not been fixed yet for the upcoming film The Brave and the Bold. Ritchson addressed the rumors in an interview with Fortress of Solitude, expressing his interest in playing the role:
“With all the rumours flying that I’m supposed to be playing Batman, how can I knock Batman? I would love to play Batman”
Ritchson has a very superhero-type physique which makes him cut out for other roles in the DCU as well. Besides Ritchson, Jensen Ackles is also another popular fan cast in the role. Alan Ritchson’s Reacher Seasons 1 & 2 are currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
