Alan Ritchson has been acting for years. But it’s his breakout role in the Amazon Prime Video series Reacher – which adapts the novels of Lee Child – that has helped put him on the map, and led to roles in the Fast & Furious franchise and Hilary Swank romantic dramas. And it means that we’re learning more and more about Ritchson, both the man and the actor. He’s appearing in more interviews. He’s being profiled in more magazines… several of which focus on his physical fitness regime. And lately, he has been opening up about his mental health, and the impact it has on Reacher, and the Reacher crew.
Men’s Health did a full profile on Alan Ritchson that touched on the actor’s career, and what led him to Reacher. But in the profile, Ritchson opened up about his bipolar disorder, and the manic behavior that can stem from it. The way that Ritchson described it:
It’s this thing like, ‘I gotta find a perfectly white pair of shoes that look like a tennis shoe but aren’t.’ Three days later, eight pairs of shoes show up that are all identical. And I’m like,‘Oh, shit, I’m manic right now.’ … When I’m feeling depressed, it doesn’t really matter, because I am so focused at work. I could go weeks without people even knowing I feel a certain way. When I’m manic and I feel like something isn’t living up to its best potential, it usually comes out in a very—not in a mean way—but in a ‘this has to be better’ way. Like a very, almost obsessive ‘this has to be better.’
That drive for perfection no doubt affects Alan Ritchson’s work. Usually, one might assume it’s for the best, as when he dedicates focus to his diet to pack on weight, muscle and mass. This is a big reason why Ritchson’s name gets mentioned in the conversation to play Batman in the DCU under James Gunn. At the same time, Ritchson admits that his manic behavior on the set of Reacher prompted his stunt coordinator to resign after Reacher Season 1… though he did return to the gig. As Ritchson recalled, the coordinator asked the actor not to participate in a fight sequence. Bad idea:
I was like, ‘I’m doing the fucking stunt.’ It was manic behavior.
After they butt heads, the two figured out and worked together on Reacher Season 2. The show now is filming Season 3, and has revealed that the source material will be the Lee Child book Persuader, with Anthony Michael Hall joining the cast in a key role. We’re brewing optimistic by hoping that Reacher Season 3 could be on Amazon Prime Video by the end of this year, so make sure to keep your subscription up to date, just to be prepared. Like Jack Reacher.
