By Movieguide® Contributor
REACHER star Alan Ritchson is weighing in on comparisons to Tom Cruise’s adaptation of the character.
“Being compared to the most legendary actor of all time? The last film star? I would never tire of being compared to somebody of his stature,” Ritchson said.
“Look, he did his thing. He brought a lot of eyes to this project that wouldn’t be here otherwise. There’s some great IP. The books are great, a lot of people have read them and enjoy the show because of them. But I think a lot of people enjoy the show because he made them aware of it,” he added.
REACHER is now in its second season. While the show features extreme violence, Movieguide® praised episode five’s “strong Christian, pro-family, patriotic values and overt references to resurrection and eternal life through Jesus.”
Part of Movieguide®’s review reads:
Episode Five of REACHER: Season Two is an exciting, slam-bang episode. Season Two is one of the more gripping action series available on the major streaming outlets. Best of all, Episode Five has strong Christian, pro-family, patriotic values and overt references to resurrection and eternal life through Jesus. The best scenes, which are extremely moving and uplifting, are smack dab in the middle of Episode Five. However, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution because of strong foul language and intense violence involving ruthless, murderous terrorists in Episode Five of REACHER: Season Two.
Cruise portrayed Reacher in 2012’s JACK REACHER, which fans seemed to approve of. However, Ritchson more closely resembles author Lee Child’s description of the character.
“The biggest difference Ritchson’s Reacher has to Cruise’s is, of course, the character’s physical stature,” MSN reported. “Ritchson, who is 6’2″ and exceedingly muscular, far more closely resembles the version of the character described in the books. In fact, Reacher is even bigger in the books, with Child describing him as 6’5″, and this physicality ultimately plays a big role in the narrative, with the character supposed to be intimidating purely from a physical standpoint.”
Child added, “The idea is that when Reacher walks into a room, you’re all a little nervous just for that first minute. And Cruise, for all his talent, didn’t have that physicality.”
Ritchson described Reacher as his “dream role.”
“There’s a razor-thin line to walk with Reacher between being too empathetic or showing too much pain or vulnerability and showing somebody who’s just a robot,” the actor said. “The reason we enjoy watching Reacher so much is because I think a lot of us wish that we could be more like that (and) almost appear less affected by the great trauma that we were surrounded by. But it’s not to say that he doesn’t love in his own way and feel deeply and carry a lot of these memories with him about the people that he loves.”
REACHER has already been renewed for a third season.
Along with his work on REACHER, Ritchson sees movie theaters as the new “pulpit.” Movieguide® previously reported:
REACHER star, Alan Ritchson recently said that it is important to support faith-based films in Hollywood.
Ritchson compared movie theaters as the new “pulpit,” on a Zoom prayer call with the cast and crew from ORDINARY ANGELS.
Christian Headlines reported that Ritchson has a desire to be in films that honor Jesus.
“People are hearing the name of Christ in movie theaters,” said Ritchson. “And if that’s where the pulpit is for people who wouldn’t normally step foot in a church, then that’s still a great way to have that conversation. It matters that these films get supported,” he added.
When faith-based films are supported it sends a vital message to Hollywood.
‘Other people in [Hollywood] watch this and a groundswell kind of takes place in Hollywood that changes things in a real meaningful way,” Ritchson stated.
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