When Tom Cruise first took Jack Reacher from page to screen in 2012, fans of the book series slammed the famously short actor for not reflecting the character's noted height and bulk. Obviously, Prime Video was taking notes when they cast Alan Ritchson — clocking in at 6'3" and 235 lbs — for the TV adaptation, which first aired in 2022.
But, the actor, known for roles in The Hunger Games, Smallville and Blue Mountain State, has more than just Reacher's size — he also has the fictional military veteran's innate sense of vigilanteism. Ritchson told etalk this week that he apprehended a carjacker in Montreal while walking with his wife.
"We were on a date in Montreal, walking to a very nice dinner, all dressed up, and we saw somebody breaking into a car," he recalled. "She put it together before I did, because he was just hanging out with glass everywhere, rooting through somebody's stuff and came out with all these bags. She goes, 'I think he's breaking into that car, and I was like, 'By Gosh, I think you're right!'"
While most people might settle for calling the cops or pretending they didn't see anything, the actor went, in his words, "Reacher-mode."
"She goes, 'Don't do it!' And I was like, instant Reacher-mode ... 'Some justice has to be done here,'" he continued. "And I chased that dude, like, four blocks until I tossed him into a building and the cops came."
Considering Ritchson acted out a similar situation in the second season of Reacher, it's safe to say that he was the right man for the job — stopping the carjacking in Montreal was very method of him.
Watch Ritchson's complete retelling of the dramatic encounter and the scene in the Reacher trailer below.
But, the actor, known for roles in The Hunger Games, Smallville and Blue Mountain State, has more than just Reacher's size — he also has the fictional military veteran's innate sense of vigilanteism. Ritchson told etalk this week that he apprehended a carjacker in Montreal while walking with his wife.
"We were on a date in Montreal, walking to a very nice dinner, all dressed up, and we saw somebody breaking into a car," he recalled. "She put it together before I did, because he was just hanging out with glass everywhere, rooting through somebody's stuff and came out with all these bags. She goes, 'I think he's breaking into that car, and I was like, 'By Gosh, I think you're right!'"
While most people might settle for calling the cops or pretending they didn't see anything, the actor went, in his words, "Reacher-mode."
"She goes, 'Don't do it!' And I was like, instant Reacher-mode ... 'Some justice has to be done here,'" he continued. "And I chased that dude, like, four blocks until I tossed him into a building and the cops came."
Considering Ritchson acted out a similar situation in the second season of Reacher, it's safe to say that he was the right man for the job — stopping the carjacking in Montreal was very method of him.
Watch Ritchson's complete retelling of the dramatic encounter and the scene in the Reacher trailer below.