With the series Reacher, Amazon Prime was able to breathe new life into the action hero. This is also due to lead actor Alan Ritchson, who seems born for this role. In season 3, we can expect the most intense fight scenes yet. The actor noticed this himself, as he pushed himself too hard.
Warning: Spoilers: This article contains minor spoilers about a fight in Reacher season 3.
What is this fight scene about? In season 3, there’s for the first time an opponent who is even bigger than Reacher himself. Reacher has to face Paulie, played by Olivier Richters, a foe he cannot easily defeat physically.
The final fight between the two is not only quite brutal, but the physicality of both actors is also highlighted. This is partly because Ritchson performed some scenes himself because he was determined to do so. However, he regretted it immediately in one scene.
A trailer for season 3 can be found here:
You will die if you do this
What happened in this fight scene? In a YouTube video from Stream Wars, parts of the cast discuss which scene was their favorite in season 3. Alan Ritchson talks about the final fight against Paulie. The usually strong and steadfast Reacher is really shaken up.
In one scene, Paulie throws him through a table. The camera films from above and you can see Ritchson’s face. The actor wanted this scene filmed just like this, even though he was told it was too dangerous. They preferred to use a stunt double and film from below.
However, Ritchson insisted, even though he was told: You will die if you do this.
He filmed the scene anyway and quickly realized the danger. Ritchson explains that he briefly saw black and thought he had broken his back.
I remember the lights briefly going out when I hit the ground. I thought, “Am I dead?” when I woke up. And I was pulled out of the frame. I only thought: […]
Reacher actor Alan Ritchson on a special stuntI think they will be right and be upset that I broke my spine.
Fortunately, it was just a feeling and Alan Ritchson did not break his spine. He further recounts that it was the worst 5 minutes of his life and that he had even insisted on them because he really wanted to shoot this scene.
Ironically, his children were supposed to be on set that day, and he wanted to hide his injury from them. Besides this action scene, he mentions the quieter scenes with actress Sonja Cassidy. These scenes are not only magical moments
for the show, but also for him. For the author of the books, Alan Ritchson is the perfect choice for the role: The author of Reacher explains whether Tom Cruise or Alan Ritchson is the better choice
