Reacher's Harvey Guillen Wrote His Own Backstory For Jasper And Roscoe
"Reacher" was a massive hit for Prime Video when it debuted in 2022, and that wasn't just because it's a non-stop action-fest. After years of fans clamoring for an accurate on-screen depiction, Amazon's streaming series finally gave author Lee Child's Jack Reacher the adaptation he deserved. Alan Ritchson may have been snubbed by Amazon initially, but after a second audition he was cast and came to embody the hulking ex-military investigator from Child's books. Of course, it helped that he was 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighed in at 235 pounds by the time filming started.
But it wasn't just Ritchson that helped "Reacher" top Nielsen streaming charts and break Prime Video audience records. Alongside the former "Titans" and "Smallville" actor was a capable supporting cast, which included Malcolm Goodwin as Oscar Finlay, the police captain in the fictional town of Margrave, Georgia. Then, there was Willa Fitzgerald, who portrayed police officer Roscoe Conklin and made such an impression that even Child himself is devastated that Roscoe won't be returning for "Reacher" season 2.
And it wasn't just the co-stars that did such a stellar job. Harvey Guillén, who played Margrave's medical examiner, Jasper, brought some much-needed levity and heart to a show that often veered into gruesome territory. The scene where Jasper is introduced, for instance, is a horrific murder scene that involves a victim being nailed to the wall after certain appendages had, shall we say, been removed — prompting Jasper to loudly exclaim, "holy s*** his f****** balls are gone!" There was more to the character, however, than just being the comic relief.
Jasper's backstory
Based on the first Jack Reacher book, "Killing Floor," season 1 of "Reacher" sees the titular hero visit Margrave, which is suddenly hit with a spate of unusually grizzly killings. As such, Jasper is somewhat overwhelmed to be confronted by the mutilated bodies that start showing up at the medical examiner's office. As Harvey Guillén explained in a brief 2022 Q&A with Skydance, Jasper "went to school and got his degree and was hoping to just live the rest of his days with him and his mom in a small town, just putting old ladies and old men who died in their sleep away." But, as Guillén put it, he's quickly thrust into a "whirlwind of excitement and thrill and terror."
But there's more to Jasper's backstory than that. At least, according to the "What We Do in the Shadows" star, who in a 2022 interview with The Illuminerdi revealed that he came up with a whole history for not just Jasper, but Willa Fitzgerald's Roscoe, too. In the show, it's obvious the two characters share a sympathetic bond, even in the brief scenes they have together. And in Guillén's view, that stemmed from a shared past. The actor explained:
"I think we really added the idea of Jasper being really sweet and endearing and wanting the best for everyone. I think that he had, probably, a rough childhood and been bullied in school, and with Willa's character who was always nice and sweet to him even when she didn't have to be. In school she was pretty and popular, and so it was nice to have that kind of look at these two characters as adults, where in high school you might have seen them completely in different sides of the schoolyard, now they're working side by side."
Jasper adds a lot to the show
Jasper admittedly isn't a huge part of the story in the first season of "Reacher," but the scenes he's in undeniably add to the show, and not just in terms of comic relief. Jasper often acts as a stand-in for the audience, especially in his shocked reactions to the horrific crimes in the series. And that's on top of his empathetic side, which seems to have been a big part of the backstory Harvey Guillén devised for his and Willa Fitzgerald's characters.
That empathy comes into play in episode 5, when Roscoe enlists Jasper's help to gain some insight into the suicide of her former boss and father figure, Detective Gray. When images of the deceased detective appear on the computer, Jasper offers to look into it himself to spare Roscoe from having to look at the graphic photos. She refuses, but the sentiment is important, and Guillén sells the moment well.
Unfortunately, it's unlikely we'll see Jasper turn up again, as "Reacher" season 2 is set to adapt the 11th Jack Reacher novel, "Bad Luck and Trouble," which looks to be set in New York City and will see Ritchson's ex-Army man embark on a whole new adventure with a new cast. But with Lee Child devastated at the prospect of Roscoe not returning, perhaps we'll see Reacher return to Margrave at some point, and there's every chance Jasper could show up on that trip — hopefully having recovered from witnessing the whole testicle removal debacle.