Alan Ritchson is the sensation of the moment, with the return of “Reacher” on Prime Video. Here are some amazing facts about the actor.
Jack Reacher is back on our screens in the second season of the Prime Video series. Alan Ritchson reprises the role of the former military officer and does what he does best: beating people up and solving crimes.
While Ritchson’s notoriety is growing thanks to the success of Reacher, it is time to take a closer look at the one who recently joined the Fast & Furious “family” in the tenth installment. Discover the 3 things you probably didn’t know about the actor.
He wrote a letter to Tom Cruise
During the broadcast Jimmy Kimmel LiveRitchson explained that he wrote to Tom Cruise: “I wrote him a sincere letter. Because there you go, I know what you know.” He was criticized for the role [dans le film Jack Reacher sorti en 2012, ndlr]because he doesn’t aesthetically fit the role of Reacher perfectly, according to the books.
This guy still made two movies that grossed over $300 million, and he doesn’t even match it.
He brought so much attention to this series. Without him, we would not have the success we have. So, out of gratitude, I wrote him a loving, heartfelt letter, a several-page letter, and delivered it to Don Granger, one of his partners at Skydance. My boss. Skydance produces the series“.
But things didn’t go as he hoped, because Don Granger didn’t like the idea. Ritchson continues: “He said, ‘We’re not going to give it to him. That’s a very bad idea. He’s okay because he’s moved on in his life. He’s moved on and you need to move on too’“.
Fortunately, Ritchson took advantage of a national forum to say what he had to say. Speaking to the Top Gun: Maverick star, he turned to the camera: “I’m very grateful to you for handing over Reacher to me and helping it become what it has become with the perspective you brought to the series.
I want you to know that this was a version of my letter. There are a few ‘I love yous’, a few photos together, but we’ll leave it at that“.
He was Ninja Turtle
You probably don’t remember, but before being the hero of Reacher, Alan Ritchson was a Ninja Turtle! He actually starred in the film Ninja Turtles, released in 2014 and where he played Raphael.
Although the first film grossed nearly $500 million (€457 million), the actor explained that he initially turned down the project, describing it as a “waste of the best years” of her career.
He recounts his experience in a podcast filmed with Collider : “It made me hate life so much“, he admitted. “They were so mean to us and didn’t keep their promises. I said no, I didn’t want to do it because I was going to waste the best years of my career on something that no one would know I was a part of.“.
He claims that Paramount pressured him to sign, with producers promising him that he would be more than a “guy with a mask“, and that it would be seen and known throughout the world. But none of this came to fruition.
“They were like, ‘No, no, it’s a brand new live action movie, one by one, you move, they move, you’re as much a part of it as anyone else. When the time comes to make you known, you will be in every country in the world, the previews will take place everywhere, we are really going to make you known.’“
“I thought, ‘Okay, it’s always useful to know other audiences in other countries,’ and I had a little boy at the time. I really wanted to do this for him. They showed me the guy from Lord of the Rings [Andy Serkis] and what it brought him.
Not only did they refuse to let us speak to the press, but we found out after the fact that they had told people that we refused interviews, which is not true.“
An experience which clearly did not leave him with good memories!
He is also a singer
We don’t necessarily guess this other talent but it turns out that Alan Ritchson also sings. Before becoming an actor, Alan participated in season 3 of the show American Idol. And if you don’t believe us, here’s the video proof:
Reacher season 2 is currently available on Prime Video.