Before Reacher, Alan Ritchson Had A Big TV Opportunity Ripped Out From Under Him

Alan Ritchson has been rapidly ascending Hollywood's A-list in recent years. Much of that has to do with the fact that he's now headlining Amazon's "Reacher" series as the titular Jack Reacher, as well as appearing in supporting roles in movies like "Fast X." With a third season of the hit Prime Video series on the way, it's clear that the show is connecting with audiences, and Ritchson is owed a lot of credit for his part in that. Leading a TV show is something the actor has worked hard and long for, dating back to early in his career when the opportunity to headline a series was ripped right out from under him.

Ritchson spoke with The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet for the "Reacher" season 2 premiere. The actor spoke about his long journey to becoming a lead actor on a show, describing it as "a long time coming." That's because when he was just starting out and landed a role on The CW's Superman series "Smallville," he was being teed up as the network's next big thing.

"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."

Ritchson was brought in during "Smallville" season 5 to play none other than Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman. The actor ultimately played the role in six episodes across several seasons of the show. The idea, at the time, was for the network to do a backdoor pilot starring Ritchson that would lead to a solo "Aquaman" TV series. That never came to pass, because the then-president of the network vetoed the idea pretty quickly. That was that, and Ritchson set about working his way up the Hollywood ladder in a slow but sure manner.

Eventually, The CW would create a DC universe of its own, dubbed the Arrowverse, which began officially with "Arrow," though characters from "Smallville" did eventually appear. But Ritchson's Arthur Curry wasn't part of it. Rather, he built himself up on shows like "Blue Mountain State" and with parts in movies like "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." He also did eventually have a meaningful turn as a DC hero as Hawk in "Titans."

When the time came to cast the new Jack Reacher, his résumé (and sheer size) positioned him as the right man for the job. Ritchson explained that the experience of losing out on the "Aquaman" show, in a roundabout way, worked out well for him.

"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."