Movies - TV
Reaching Reacher’s Proper Weight Sent Alan Ritchson To The Hospital
By JOE ROBERTS
Fans of Lee Child's "Reacher" wanted a larger live-action Jack Reacher after the Tom Cruise-led films, leading to Alan Ritchson taking on the role in Prime Video's series.
Size is essential to the character. Jack Reacher is six-foot-five, weighs 220-250 pounds, and has a 50-inch chest; Cruise's version didn't measure up to fans' need for accuracy.
Ritchson, on the other hand, only weighed in at 205 lbs during his audition. Even with promising to meet the weight for accuracy, Amazon hesitated initially.
On the Rich Eisen Show, Ritchson revealed, "I needed to put on 30 pounds for the role [...]," later disclosing Amazon stated, "'You cannot show up to set without being 235.'"
He explained, “I had eight months to do it, I built a gym in my house, and I worked my ass off. You cannot believe how hard I worked, every day, like my life depended on it.”
The actor wanted fans to know, “And I did it without any help — no steroids, no testosterone, nothing good for you, just hard work. So I got through but it also killed me.”
It wasn't just the grueling workout regimen that was new to Ritchson, the show’s fight choreography was also demanding. At the end of the season, he needed shoulder surgery.