Alan Ritchson is one of the most popular TV actors of recent years due to his blockbuster series Reacher. Adapted from the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child, the series finds Ritchson in the titular role, solving mysteries, fighting corruption, and uncovering truths that threaten his life.
While the series has quickly gained popularity due to its compact pacing and plot, there is another thing that draws fans to the series.
That is, the intense action sequences the show boasts, most of which Alan Ritchson performs himself. Unfortunately, trying to film such a scene for the recently concluded Reacher Season 3 landed the actor in a world of pain in a way that he will regret forever.
Alan Ritchson had the worst experience of his life while filming Reacher Season 3
As stated above, problems arose during such a stunt while filming the Season 3 finale episode of the series. Fans would remember that the finale contained the much-anticipated fight between Paulie (Olivier Richters) and Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacher.
The fight is filled with sequences where Paulie throws Jack around through walls, furniture, and whatever else he finds in front of him. Alan Ritchson claimed to Entertainment Weekly that before filming began for Season 3, he got the bright idea to perform his own stunts.
Which included this fierce brawl from the finale. Although he had to battle his team tooth and nail on that decision as they were worried he might get hurt, he was determined to see things through.
Things were progressing well enough until the time came for shooting a scene where Olivier Richters would smash Ritchson through a table. The idea was that throughout that sequence, the camera would be focused completely on his face to make the audience feel the visceral tension of the scene.
Although his team put up a great fight again, Ritchson went ahead with his plan. Unfortunately for him, the consequence of that drastic action resulted in him going through the worst experience of his life.
I got picked up and we worked out the camera thing a few times and he slammed me through the table so hard, I went through it into the seventh circle of hell. And I woke up a day and a half later. When I came to, I had to tell my kids that I felt great, because they were on set, and I didn’t want them to think that like, dad died and was going to not be okay. It was the worst few minutes of my life.
Thankfully, things worked out for the best, and Alan Ritchson didn’t suffer too much of the damage from that incident.
Regardless, being unconscious for a day and a half straight from that hit sounds like major trauma. Moreover, it could have ended worse if proper help hadn’t been available on set for him.
Alan Ritchson’s actions portray his dedication to his work
Although Alan Ritchson’s experience with such an extreme stunt didn’t end well for him, the fact that he was willing to take it on shows his dedication to his role.
Many actors try to perform their own stunts to make them seem as authentic as possible onscreen. While that can be a great learning opportunity, it is also necessary to remember that those stunts come with their risks.
That is why many people take the help of professional stunt performers who are trained for the work to provide maximum impact to the scene while suffering minimum damage.
Ritchson, for his part, took this daunting task on as he was determined to show the audience gratitude through his work by being as genuine in it as possible, due to the love they have shown him and his show for years.
I was like, ‘I want the audience to know that I’m doing this for us. I’m taking one for Reacher and we’re all in this together,’ and so I wanted the camera to come up and just stay on my face the whole time while I get smashed through a table on the barn floor.
Nevertheless, it’ll be interesting to see if Reacher Season 4 will feature similar stunts for the character in the future. Or, if this terrible experience was enough for Ritchson to tone things down for himself.
Moreover, fans are also excited to learn if the actor will finally employ stunt professionals for those dangerous action sequences in the upcoming season. Until then, though, fans can enjoy the recently concluded Season 3 of Reacher if they haven’t caught up to it yet.
Reacher is streaming on Prime Video.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
