Reacher Star Alan Ritchson Still Feels Like He's Got Something To Prove

This post contains spoilers for "Reacher" season 1.

Alan Ritchson might not have reached mega-star status yet, but he's been in the industry long enough to build an impressive résumé. The 40-year-old has appeared in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot movies of recent years, and "Blue Mountain State," where his character was appropriately named Thad Castle. He also played Hawk on "Titans," and early in his career appeared as Arthur Curry/Aquaman on "Smallville." But it's his Amazon Prime Video series "Reacher" that's given the actor his biggest exposure, thanks to the show quickly breaking Nielson streaming records upon its debut.

Now, "Reacher" season 2 is almost upon us and will find the titular former military policeman embroiled in a plot to eradicate members of his former Army squad. In all, season 2 of the Amazon series looks set to be a more epic outing than season 1. The first eight episodes were set in the small town of Margrave, Georgia where Jack Reacher uncovered widespread corruption and avenged the death of his brother. But this time around, if the casting of several actors as NYPD cops is anything to go by, we'll see the taciturn hero venturing into the big city to take on a story much bigger in scope, and much more personal.

All of this is great, as it will presumably give Ritchson a chance to show a bit more range. Not that Jack Reacher is that layered a character — the author of the books, Lee Child, designed him to be a straightforwardly good guy. But there will be plenty of chances to throw new challenges at both Reacher and Ritchson in the upcoming season. Which should work out well considering the leading man claims he's still got a lot to prove.

Jack Reacher went through the wringer in "Reacher" season 1 — early on discovering his brother had been murdered, then battling his way through numerous brutal fights, often taking on entire gangs by himself. In fact, when he first shows up in Margrave, he's almost immediately arrested as a suspect in a recent murder. But by the time he hitchhikes out of the small town, leaving Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald) and Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) behind, he's more than proven his worth as a morally upstanding hero.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that Alan Ritchson feels he proved his worth. Speaking to Black Film and TV, the actor explained how he "grew up without much," which 
gave him a "scrappy, feisty, wiry side" and a "high drive and good work ethic." Combined with the fact that Ritchson was somewhat of a Hollywood outsider when he started his career, not knowing anyone in the business, that makes for a highly ambitious and driven actor. As Ritchson put it: "There's no nepotism involved in my career. So, I feel like I've got something to prove."

But it isn't just that Ritchson wants to outdo himself and prove his worth. He also feels an obligation to Amazon's "Reacher" fans. He explained:

"I want to make sure that I'm honoring the fans, and that they're never taken out of the story because I'm somebody who's not working at it or am searching for my lines, you know? I'm a fan of this series too, so I want to make sure the fans are happy and that I'm proud of the work as well."

While his childhood as a military brat helped Alan Ritchson when it came to playing the itinerant Jack Reacher, it also clearly contributed to his ambitions to become the best he could be. And that's been particularly evident in the last decade. Back in 2013, he told Da Man Magazine:

"It's not good enough for me anymore to be just a working actor. I want to build a reputation for being the best in bringing a character to life. When that was decided, I started to see a change of direction in my career, where the roles I'm booking now are bigger in scale and of better quality. Without dedication to the craft, I don't think I could have ever landed these roles."

With "Reacher," Ritchson put that ethos into practice, hanging out with Lee Child as much as he could and reading all the author's Jack Reacher novels. He also packed on an extra 30 pounds to truly inhabit the bulky frame that Jack Reacher is known for — something that was important to both him and Child after Tom Cruise failed to win over some fans of the novels with his relatively slight physique. All of which seems to have finally gotten Ritchson where he wanted to be throughout his career. The actor has claimed that Jack Reacher is his favorite role to date, and it shows on-screen in the Amazon series.

Still, that success has come with its share of pressure, with Ritchson telling Black Film and TV, "Now I just don't want to be outworked by anybody." With "Reacher" season 2 just around the corner we'll see if he's managed to win that battle this time around.