Reacher's Alan Ritchson Felt His Job Was At Risk Daily On This Comedy Series

Before Alan Ritchson could play Jack Reacher, he played an even scarier character named Thad Castle. Thad is a college football player who's hyper, high-strung, and prone to homo-erotic behavior. He annoys the rest of the team with his over-competitive ways and his tendency to scream in a high-pitched voice, but nevertheless proves his value as a friend and teammate about once an episode (usually near the end of it). Thad was Ritchson's first major role in a TV series; believe it or not, he didn't feel too confident that the role would last. 

"I'm not sure my character was ever supposed to grow on the show," Ritchson explained in a 2024 Hollywood Reporter interview. "I think he was supposed to be an antagonistic character for a season. So I felt like my job was in jeopardy every day. I went into work with an intention to steal every scene and fill every frame in a way to get noticed. That way, my presence would be missed if I wasn't there." Ritchson's fear of being replaced or written out became a problem behind-the-scenes, as the rest of the cast grew annoyed with his attempts to keep the focus on himself. 

"I would get yelled at all the time, and they would say, 'Just f***ing sit still,'" Ritchson recalled. But as all "Blue Mountain State" fans know, his showboating paid off: Thad was an undisputed fan favorite, and he soon became the face of the franchise despite not even being the main character. "All the conflict and tension and pain I was experiencing from getting yelled at paid off because it was right for the audience, which loved how crazy I was," Ritchson said. 

Thanks to becoming the show's breakout character, Thad helped "Blue Mountain State" make it to three seasons. Thanks to a nearly $2 million dollar Kickstarter campaign from the fans, Ritchson starred in his standalone film, "The Rise of Thadland," in 2016. The movie never got a big theater release, but the fact it exists at all is a nice testament to his importance in the original series.

Since then, Ritchson has starred in countless projects — from "Brooklyn 99" to "Black Mirror" — before settling into a full-time role as Jack Reacher. But, even though "Reacher" is an undeniable success of a TV show that will likely go on for countless more years, Ritchson's talked a lot in interviews about worrying he's not doing enough. "I want to make sure that I'm honoring the fans, and that they're never taken out of the story because I'm somebody who's not working at it or am searching for my lines, you know?" he said in a 2022 interview with Black Film and TV (via YouTube). "I'm a fan of this series too, so I want to make sure the fans are happy and that I'm proud of the work as well." It's an attitude he's maintained for a long time, as made clear in one of his interviews as far back as 2013: "It's not good enough for me anymore to be just a working actor," he told Da Man Magazine. "I want to build a reputation for being the best in bringing a character to life."