Alan Ritchson channeled his inner Reacher to stop real-life carjacking

❘ Published: 2024-01-10T18:44:23

Reacher Season 2 with Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher.

Amazon Prime Video

The heroic skills of Jack Reacher aren’t just for show as Reacher star Alan Ritchson faced a real-life crime that he helped stop and bring to justice.

Based on Lee Child’s popular book character, Ritchson has embodied the role of lone wolf and former military agent Jack Reacher. Fans have praised the actor in both Season 1 and Season 2 of the series for bringing to life Reacher’s more no BS policy and inherent need to help people when in need.

While Ritchson’s on-screen persona is vastly different from his real-life carefree and comedic version, there’s one thing they have in common. Justice.

Fans may remember the first episode of Reacher Season 2 had the character stop a carjacking and kidnapping of a mother and her young son. What if Ritchson faced a similar dilemma in real life?

A typical date turned pursuit of a criminal

Alan Ritchson revealed that he was meant to play Jack Reacher for a reason as the actor once chased after a criminal who broke into a car and stole someone’s belongings.

Speaking to Etalk, the actor detailed one instance where he became his on-screen character for real. Ritchson was all dressed up alongside his wife on their way to a nice date in Montreal, Canada. When all of a sudden they witness someone breaking into a car.

“She put it together before I did because it [he] was just hanging out with glass everywhere like running 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,'” said the actor.

Ritchson’s wife told him, “Don’t do it!” But the actor admitted he went into instant Reacher mode and thought, “Some justice has to be done here.”

“I chased that dude four blocks until I tossed him into a building and the cops came,” recalled the actor. But he can’t help but admit that his heroics did put a damper on his date with his wife. Thankfully, they did end up making it to their destination.

It seems that Ritchson was the perfect fit for the role of Jack Reacher all along. Based on the impressive use of combat skills and impactful punches seen in Reacher Season 2, it’s no surprise that the actor was more than well-prepared to take on a car thief.

Reacher Season 2 is streaming now on Prime Video, which you can sign up for here. Check out our other Reacher coverage below: