Alan Ritchson Says 'Reacher' Is 'Modern-Day Western': He Is Judge, Jury And Executioner

Alan Ritchson, the lead star of the popular Amazon Prime Video series "Reacher", says his titular protagonist is all about swift justice and that appeals to viewers who resonate with his quest "to do the right thing".

Ritchson, known for featuring in shows and movies such as "Smallville", "Blue Mountain State", "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series and "Fast X", compared the show to a modern-day Western.

"Justice bleeds into vengeance for Reacher. So I think there's a lot of colour in between the black and white as to how he sees the world. It's like a modern-day Western, he's judge, jury and executioner.

"And in a lot of ways we root for that because we want swift justice. This is a bit of wish fulfillment where we get to escape to a world where Reacher makes that a reality. And I think that's what makes it fun for people," the 41-year-old actor told PTI in a virtual interview.

Ritchson is the second actor after Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise to embody Jack Reacher, the hero of author Lee Child's best-selling novel series.

Child, who has written 28 novels in the long-running series, said the character acts as a proxy for people who want to see justice happening in real life.

"I think what it is with Reacher that chimes in not only with actors and readers, but really all people, is that like all of us, he wants to do the right thing. But in real life, of course, we can't because maybe we're physically incapable or intimidated or inhibited, or maybe it's a work problem where you're going to get fired if you make a fuss about something.

"But we love to see it done for us as a proxy. So Reacher is the guy who wants to do the right thing. He can do it, and he will do it. And people cheer him on from the sidelines," the author said.

With a towering stature and muscular physique, Ritchson brings alive Reacher, a former military police major in the series, which debuted with its first season in February 2022 and is now returning with the sophomore chapter on Friday.

Asked about the evolution he witnessed in how he played the role in season two, the actor said the idea was to stay the same.

"My goal is to be true to who this guy is as my showrunner once said when he felt like I was getting a little too cutesy in a scene where Reacher was playing somebody else. He said, 'He's an alligator whether he's in a pawn shop, a library or out in the wild. This guy's the same wherever he is.'

"He doesn't change and that's kind of what we love so much about him. The goal is kind of to keep Reacher Reacher no matter what the situation is," he said.

However, the writers have definitely made some improvements and adjustments made to the character, he added.

The actor hoped that he won't go "clean shaven" again for playing the part.

"I feel like when I see pictures of season one, I look like I'm 14 years old and not very scary. So we fixed that," Ritchson joked.

As far as his performance is concerned, the actor he learnt to trust standing still in front of the camera.

"I started out as a physical comic, basically, very big and physical, and I had to have something to touch all the time. But Reacher just stands there with his hands by his side until he's ready to strike. So, I had to learn to trust that," he said.

Season two of "Reacher" is based on “Bad Luck and Trouble”, the 11th book in Child’s global best-selling series. It sees Reacher receiving a coded message that the members of his former US Army unit are being mysteriously and brutally murdered one by one.

Pulled from his drifter lifestyle, Reacher reunites with three of his former teammates -- Frances Neagley; Karla Dixon, and David O’Donnell -- to investigate the case, as per the official plotline.

As an actor, Ritchson said he enjoyed both the silent moments of the character as well as the sequences where he is trying to crack the case.

"It is a real gift to what Lee Child gave in the books. There is a very famous line, 'Reacher said nothing.' And that's what we read but seeing that translated on screen was a very scary thing to commit to because you got to trust the audience to see what you're seeing in your head," he said.

He believes the character is most excited when is in "detective mode".

"The trick is to keep that same activity going when he's standing there, not saying anything and listening because he's still enjoying processing things and the world the way he does like a supercomputer. So while he's not saying much, I try to keep a lot of activity in the head and maybe that's what works about those silent moments," Ritchson said.

Also starring Maria Sten, Serinda Swan and Shaun Sipos in pivotal roles, "Reacher" is written and showrun by Emmy-nominated writer Nick Santora.

The show, which has already been green lit for a third season, is produced by Amazon Studios, Skydance, and Paramount Television Studios.