The actor admits he wasn’t the top choice for the role, for reasons including being too short
After two seasons of the hit series “Reacher,” it might be difficult to imagine anyone but Alan Ritchson in the title role. But Friday, the actor told the audience at the “Tonight Show” that he wasn’t the original top choice for the part. On top of that, he was so nervous during his audition that producer Don Granger could hear his heartbeat — thanks in part to the mic Ritchson wore during his COVID-era audition.
“It’s been a big success, but it was a really hard-fought win, this one,” Ritchson told host Jimmy Fallon. “This was not an easy get. I was never supposed to be Reacher. Big asterisks by this role for me. I feel lucky.”
“I had to audition … you know, they wanted the exact specifications. He’s 6’5″, I’m 6’3″. I’m automatically out! But I fought for this, I fought for this,” Ritchson said. “So, before Season 1, you know, usually there’s an audition process. You go in one or two times, if you’re lucky — you screen test.”
“But this was during COVID, so there was ample opportunity to just— where was I going to be, on a film? I’m in my basement,” to laughs from the crowd. “So was the rest of the world! So they go, we’re going to read you one more time, it’s pretty good. The executive of Skydance wants to see you. So I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll do it again.’”
“So I show up ready, but I was cheating, because I had this great setup in my house. I had an amazing camera — like a film camera, lights, I was mic-ing myself up, I was doing the whole thing. I was cheating,” he told Fallon, who replied, “Yeah, you have to.”
“You’re competing against the world’s finest actors for this part,” Ritchson said. “So I get near the end, we’re screen testing for this thing — this like, this is the most crucial step. And I mic myself up, do my little pat myself dry, we get in there and I do a scene. And it went really well, I made no mistakes. It was solid.”
“And Don Granger of Skydance — been Tom Cruise’s partner for a long time, guy’s a legend — he goes, ‘Yeah, um, that was a little distracting. Were you guys… did you guys hear– it sounded like drums or something.’ And Nick Santora, the showrunner, said, ‘Yeah, it almost sounded like a heartbeat to me, it was all I could hear. We need to do it again.’”
“And I was like, ‘Oh my God,’” Ritchson said. “They go, ‘Are you wearing a microphone?’ I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I was that nervous! My heart was pounding so hard that it distracted the entire screen test.”
“So I go, ‘No,’ and I snuck off camera like this and ripped the microphone off,” Ritchson said, imitating his sneaky off-camera lean. “And I went back in and they were none the wiser. And I ended up with the part, and I got lucky. But almost lost it.”
Watch the interview with Alan Ritchson in the video above.
News
Reacher Season 3 Gives Us First Look At The Dutch Giant, Olivier Richters, On Set And He’s Already Messing With Alan Ritchson
Clash of the (literal) titans! (Image credit: Marvel Studios) Paulie is a character that Reacher fans have been curious about ever since it was confirmed that Reacher Season 3 – the hit show available with an Amazon Prime Video subscription – would be adapting the…
Gerard Butler’s Den of Thieves Sequel Finally Sets Theatrical Release Date
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera has finally gotten its theatrical release date. A date has finally been put on the board for Gerard Butler’s upcoming action sequel Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. A sequel to 2018’s Den of Thieves, the new film has been…
Gerard Butler is in Talks To Star in The Action-Thriller Comedy EMPIRE STATE
Gerard Butler is in talks to star in an upcoming comedic action-thriller titled Empire State, which is about the Empire State Building being attacked. Butler will re-team with Den Of Thieves director Christian Gudegast on the project, which will involve two first responders who don’t…
Gerard Butler’s ‘Den of Thieves 2’ Finally Sets a Release Date After 6 Years
Butler will star opposite O’Shea Jackson Jr. for the sequel to the hit heist film. Image via STXfilms THE BIG PICTURE Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is set to release on January 10, 2025 with the original cast returning for another heist…
Kriti Sanon Reveals Her Fangirl Moment With Gerard Butler, Calls Him Humble: ‘I Was Like Oh My God’
The Crew actress mentioned that the incident took place when she was shooting for her Telugu film with Mahesh Babu in London. Kriti Sanon is gearing up for her next release Do Patti with Kajol. Well, recently the teaser was…
The Top 10 Films Featuring Gerard Butler, According to Critical Acclaim
Known for his commanding screen presence, Gerard Butler has secured his place among the luminaries of the film industry. From his early beginnings with a background in law to becoming a standout performer in film and television, the 54-year-old Scottish veteran has…
End of content
No more pages to load