‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson on Hard-Fought Lesson That Changed His Life: “I Almost Didn’t Survive”
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When it comes to red carpet interviews, one minute is fair, three minutes is great and 10 minutes, well, that just never happens. Alan Ritchson generously proved to be an exception to the rule on Wednesday night when the Reacher star spent a chunk of time speaking with The Hollywood Reporter inside L.A.’s Culver Theater, on the eve of the season two debut of his Prime Video series.
It’s a miracle he had any time to spare. Two weeks ahead of the season two premiere on Dec. 15, Amazon confirmed it had renewed the series for a third season, which is currently filming. Hot on the heels of that news, the studio confirmed that the 41-year-old had inked a multiyear first-look film deal with his AllyCat Entertainment through Amazon MGM Studios. It’s no surprise they locked him down after Reacher became Prime Video’s most watched original series ever and became its first title to hit No. 1 on Nielsen’s SVOD rankings.
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During those 10 minutes, Ritchson, a veteran actor with 20 years under his belt, talked about the leap to No. 1 on the call sheet (and the behavior he’s witnessed that he has no plans to emulate), his ambitions behind the camera (writing, directing and producing) and why he prefers baring his soul over crafting a faux movie star persona on social media.
Why do you think Reacher caught on in the way that it did?
That’s a great question. Being that this was fueled by a series of books [Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels] that sold over 200 million copies, there were high hopes for the show because, obviously, we knew that there was already an audience there. But the fact that it was breaking records within 48 hours of premiering on Prime was unprecedented and wholly unexpected. Fans of Reacher approach me all the time and I always ask what it is that they love. Women tell me they love the fight scenes and action sequences, and guys say they love the mystery and trying to figure it out before Reacher does. There’s something for everyone to love, and there’s really no demographic — it’s all creeds, races, genders, ages. It invites everyone in who just wants to have a good time and watch a fun story.
It’s a testament to your talent and having the right person in the right role at the right time. This was a long time coming for you in making it to No. 1 on the call sheet. What was the biggest surprise in leading a series?
It was a long time coming. It’s funny because when I started out in the business, I was thrust into a situation with Smallville where I was promised a spinoff right away. The ratings were record-setting in season five when I came in. I had all these people in Hollywood saying to me, “You are the guy. You’re going to be No. 1 on the call sheet right away.” And then there was a merger between UPN and Warner Bros. to create The CW. The president of UPN took over, looked at the slate and said, “Who is this dude with no résumé at all? He’s not getting his own show.” So, in the middle of our negotiations, it fell apart. It was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It taught me to hold on very loosely to the things that we hope for in this business, to never have any expectations and just enjoy whatever actually manifests.
It gave me a 20-year career of building a foundation of gratitude, and the opportunity to build a foundation of experience that included many areas of the business including writing, directing and producing. It also allowed me to become a well-rounded person who was ready for the role of leading a show where you can be a servant of the crew. I’m grateful. What got me ready for Reacher was all the losses that I took early on.
During those 20 years, I’m sure you probably were exposed to a lot of behavior on sets that you didn’t want to emulate when you became No. 1 on the call sheet …?
Absolutely — 100 percent. I watched the leads do things that I cannot possibly imagine doing myself. I once saw someone leave the set in the middle of a take, get in an Uber and leave the country by saying, “I’m done with the show.” Not just leaving the set but leaving the country. We only found out later that they had left for Spain once they posted photos to Instagram. Seeing the disruption that it caused, I knew then that would never be my take.
Wow. By the way, it must be nice standing here tonight knowing that you’re already picked up for season three, so you have a job to go back to already.
Yeah. Or is it extra scary because, if it doesn’t go well [with the launch of this], what will happen at work on Monday? (Laughs.)
Amazon seems to love the show and its success. When you’re No. 1 in the world, do you get a nice gift from the studio?
You know what, man, I have to say that Amazon takes really good care of me. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the business right now. I’m at the best studio there is. Amazon has the most content for streaming, and with shows like Reacher, The Boys and all the other offerings, it’s the best content out there. When they back you up, they back you up all the way. Our relationship extends beyond the business, beyond this contractual business relationship. There’s a lot of real goodwill and affection between everybody at Amazon and myself.
You’re also in business with them on a newly announced production deal. Speaking of that, I will read you a direct quote from your Instagram: “I promise I won’t make any crappy movies.” Can you tell me what you will make?
We can’t forget about my own wife’s comment, which was, “So, I guess you’re retiring?” I set myself up for that one …
It feels, in many ways, like you’re just getting started. What’s the strategy on the type of content you will produce, and will you write, direct and star or produce things that aren’t vehicles for yourself?
Yes, I will produce stuff that I’m not starring in. Some of my greatest strengths are actually not performance related, so there’s a lot we’re going to do. Some of these projects will be original scripts or scripts that I’ve written with people, and others will be scripts that we discover. I’ve made it very clear that I, like most audiences, desperately crave original content. I’m committed to finding original, high-adventure, high-concept content.
One of the things that I admire about you is how you’ve remained authentic and open, particularly on Instagram, as your star has risen in Hollywood. You share a lot about wins, losses, your desire to be a better man, husband and father. I’m sure you’ve had people tell you to reel it in, but why have you leaned into being a human being rather than some cookie-cutter version of a big star who only puts their “brand” forward?
At the end of the day, we are all human beings. And, look, I had an early midlife crisis. I had a very existential breakdown, and it came at a time of tremendous success for me, financial success. I was developing film funds for people that were doing really well. Like I said, my work behind the lens is extensive and valuable to certain people. It was in that moment that I had a crisis of purpose and I had to really, really reassess what my life was about. Was it about building an empire? Was that satisfying? There was nothing there. There was no top. I was surrounded by billionaires who all had double lives. They were bored and unsatisfied with what they had and it seemed like a glimpse into a miserable existence.
I’m committed to the lesson that I learned in that moment: Serving others and creating work that makes the world a better place is really what we’re here for. I’m so glad I learned that lesson. It was a hard-fought lesson and I almost didn’t survive. I’m here now to live out that lesson, be open about my struggles and problems, and make the world feel like a beautiful, smaller place.
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Season two of Reacher is currently streaming the first three episodes on Prime Video, with remaining hours in the eight-episode season dropping weekly on Fridays.
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