Meeting Jack Reacher Author Lee Child Was A Fanboy Moment For Alan Ritchson
Since Amazon's "Reacher" proved a big hit on Prime Video, star Alan Ritchson has made no secret of his love for the source material. Lee Child has written 28 Jack Reacher books which have enjoyed massive popularity, leading to two Tom Cruise-starring movies back in 2012 and 2016. Unfortunately, fans weren't all that impressed with Cruise's stature, which just didn't convey the quiet power readers associated with Child's 6-ft 5-inch hero. And so, after 2016's "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," Child decided to rethink how his books were being adapted, which ultimately led to the streaming series that topped the Nielsen streaming chart on its debut and introduced audiences to a much more fitting on-screen representation of the protagonist.
Alan Ritchson, who was best known for his roles in the "Hunger Games" movies and on TV shows such as "Smallville" and "Titans," had to audition twice for "Reacher," eventually landing the part after Amazon was initially hesitant to cast him. But even before he'd been given the part, the actor had started falling in love with Child's novels. As Ritchson told /Film in 2022:
"I picked up the books and I got it instantly. I understand, even just after reading 'Killing Floor,' the first book in this series, why this crosses so many international borders, why this is such a beloved character by so many millions of fans around the world. He just embodies a lot of really fun qualities."
It's safe to say Ritchson became a fan of Jack Reacher almost instantly, then. Mainly, because he told Empire as much when he said, "I'm a fan. I've kind of clung to every word [Child has] written." So it makes sense that when actor met author for the first time, it was a major fanboy moment for Ritchson.
Ritchson and Child hit it off
Alan Ritchson basically learned how to be Jack Reacher by hanging out with Lee Child. Once he'd actually been given the part in "Reacher," the actor set about prepping by going directly to the source. And Child, who serves as Executive Producer on the show, was more than happy to lend his expertise, especially since he had decided Ritchson was the man for the job within two seconds of seeing his audition tape.
For his part, Ritchson has spoken about noticing elements of the writer in the character of Jack Reacher himself, from the dry humor to the capable intellect. But the "Reacher" star had to get past his own reverence for Child before he could focus on building his take on the character. As he told The Wrap:
"Just imagine for a moment that you've read all the books available by an author, you've fallen in love with his writing, you see his mind coming to life on the page, you now get to bring to life some figment of his imagination that he spent over two decades conjuring up and manifesting, and now you're going to meet this guy on set."
Ritchson went on to recall how "gracious and humble" Child was on their first meeting, noting that the two of them "hit it off" and that the author was happy to answer his multiple questions, which ranged from, "Am I Reacher enough?" to the all-important, "Am I tall enough?" At 6-ft 3-inches, and having bulked up to 235 pounds for the part, there was never any doubt Ritchson would get the seal of approval, even if he was in the grips of a paroxysm of fanboy energy.
'I had a million questions for him'
Lee Child has spoken about staying true to what the fans want when it comes to Jack Reacher. It was part of the reason he gave up on the Tom Cruise movies after readers just couldn't get past the "Mission Impossible" star's lack of verticality. So when Alan Ritchson came along and embodied all the physicality that was so central to the character, there was no doubt Child would be happy to answer his numerous questions and help the actor craft his best portrayal of Jack Reacher.
That said, it sounds like Ritchson let his fanboy side get the better of him on his first meeting with Child, with the actor telling The Wrap that he and the writer, "didn't talk much about the role or the character of the books," adding, "I had a million questions for him, just about who he is and what he's interested in and how he spends his day, and he was kind enough to entertain that."
With "Reacher" season 2 just around the corner, Child will once again be lending his Executive Producer talents to the show, which managed to finally deliver a Jack Reacher that met fan expectations with its first season. No doubt much of that was down to Ritchson's enthusiasm for the source material and Child's willingness to lend his insights. Season 2 sounds like it might be straying slightly further from the source material than the first eight episodes, adapting the 11th Jack Reacher novel "Bad Luck and Trouble" but shifting the setting from California to New York City and introducing some newly-created characters, such as Robert Patrick's Shane Langston. Whether that will affect the show's success remains to be seen, but with Ritchson and Child onboard, it seems unlikely.