How Filming Reacher Almost Killed Alan Ritchson and How It Changed

Prime Video’s Reacher is an intense action thriller series, but making Season 1 was equally brutal on star Alan Ritchson who suffered during filming.

This article contains a brief mention of a suicide attempt.

Amazon Prime Video’s surprise hit Reacher finished Season 2 with a finale almost as surprising as the show’s continued success. Nearly two years after the first season finished, the show came back with another eight episodes and soared to the top of Prime Video’s original rankings. However, Reacher‘s success wasn’t guaranteed, and the way Amazon filmed Season 1 almost killed series’ star Alan Ritchson.

Jack Reacher is a character created by Lee Child, the pen name of British author James Dover Grant. Since 1997’s Killing Floor, the writer has released 28 novels starring his main character of few words, with a 29th book, In Too Deep, set to debut in 2024.

To prepare for the role, Alan Ritchson bulked up with around 30 to 40 pounds of muscle and cuts an imposing figure on the series. Yet, Reacher‘s breakout success wasn’t a sure thing, which may be why Amazon instituted a filming schedule as brutal as any of Reacher’s fights. While it changed for Season 2, filming the first outing led to serious medical problems for its star.

Reacher Season 1 Was Small but Mighty

Set in the town of Margrave, Georgia, Jack Reacher sauntered into town to try the pie and visit the home of Blues musician Blind Blake. Immediately upon entering Margrave, he’s arrested on the suspicion of killing a group of men. He’s sent to prison with Paul Hubble, a banker who falsely confessed to the crimes, and foils an attempt on their lives.

Once he learns one of the victims was his brother, Reacher joins forces with Detective Oscar Finlay and Deputy Roscoe Conklin to solve the crime and get justice for his brother.

The season is full of impressively choreographed fights and outlandish action sequences, culminating in a massive explosion at a Margrave factory owned by the Kliner family.

He escapes at the last minute as the building is consumed by flames and explosions. Despite the epic scale of the fights and action, the budget-conscious production is visible throughout Season 1. The town of Margrave was one giant set, with a handful of locations used for the shoot.

Filming reportedly took place over 16 weeks starting in April 2021 and running through July. Much of the action takes place on a handful of sets, including a restaurant, the police station and various homes where characters lived or were hiding out.

The eight episodes in Season 1 were densely packed with dialogue, meticulously choreographed fight scenes and difficult action sequences involving firearms and explosives. However, according to Ritchson, the Reacher filming schedule was the most brutal of his career.

Amazon Prime Gave Reacher Season 1 Producers a Hard Deadline

Appearing on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum in 2022, just as the show debuted on Prime Video, Alan Ritchson had a frank discussion about his life, career and filming Reacher. He talked about his struggles in Hollywood, including an attempt he made on his own life. He discussed being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and how the treatment gave him a new lease on life.

Yet, after all of this struggle, the filming schedule for Reacher Season 1 was so tight, he was forced to work seven days per week. He told Rosenbaum that Amazon said the production budget would be cut off not at a particular limit but rather on a specific date.

This meant, no matter the effect it had on his mental or physical health, he had to see it through. Ritchson described how he would often have to report to multiple sets in a day. The crew behind the camera had strict rules about how long they could work and overtime.

Thus, Ritchson would spend hours filming certain sequences, with his off-time split between learning lines for the next week’s episode or practicing the fight choreography for upcoming scenes. This was a struggle for an actor who was in almost every scene of Reacher‘s first eight episodes.

Ritchson talked about the toll this took on him as a person, not just an actor. He told Rosenbaum that he would often find himself being short with crew members.

He wasn’t sleeping, and as the breakneck pace of filming pushed him to his limit, a simple request for his boots or wardrobe would cause him to snap. Yet, Ritchson also understood that it was work under these conditions or watch as the series evaporated. However, beyond the mental toll the schedule took on him, the physical toll literally almost killed him.

Alan Ritchson Suffered Injuries and Almost Suffocated Making Reacher Season 1

Unlike many action heroes who are deeply concerned about their image, Alan Ritchson is remarkably open. A man of faith, he feels it is his duty to talk about his struggles with mental health and physical health because what he endured could help someone else.

It’s not the kind of thing Jack Reacher would do, making him somewhat even braver and more heroic than his most famous character. The worst injury he suffered during the filming was he tore his shoulder, requiring surgery. However, the schedule Amazon inflicted on the production meant he had to suffer through the fight scenes and the action with just pain medication.

Ritchson said on Inside of You that a doctor prescribed him injections of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). He described filming the scenes in the Margrave prison from the first episode, but not one of Reacher’s brutal fight sequences.

Rather, it was a scene in which Reacher sits at a table and eats a sandwich after fending off five attackers. Ritchson said that he could barely breathe while acting and eating, almost suffocating on the sandwich. He revealed the heavy dose of NSAID had affected the way his body processed oxygen.

Apparently, according to Ritchson, such heavy doses of NSAID caused his testosterone levels to dip to dangerously low levels. Ritchson told Rosenbaum that he was “out of [his] mind” from exhaustion. Because of the lack of oxygen, his muscles were “tearing,” and Ritchson had to get on testosterone replacement therapy in order to generate sufficient hemoglobin.

“I was literally suffocating to death,” he said, “because of all the powerful pain meds that were helping me get through those fights.” Compounded by the physicality of the role and no sleep, he said, “I was dying.”

Ritchson Made Sure Reacher Season 2 Wouldn’t Be a Similar Experience

During the interview, Ritchson told Rosenbaum that he ensured any future season would have a better schedule and adequate time for both preparation and rest. Luckily, Reacher was a massive hit, so the studio was more than agreeable.

Nonetheless, Ritchson truly suffered for the show. That Jack Reacher seems so calm and poised is a testament to Ritchson’s acting ability. Though, he said he can tell in certain scenes just how badly he was struggling to breathe and work through the pain.

On top of his physical struggles, Ritchson also bulked up for the role. Carrying 30 to 40 pounds of extra muscle on his frame would have been difficult enough. Add to this equation his shoulder and muscle injuries and the side-effects of the pain medication, it’s truly remarkable he was able to finish Season 1 at all.

Reacher Season 2 filmed in Ontario from September 2022 to February 2023, meaning the actors and crew had two more months to complete the show than last time. “I was like, ‘Guys, I can’t do this again,” Ritchson said, “if you think we’re going to do this for seven, eight [or] ten years…this is unsustainable.”

Thankfully, Ritchson wasn’t just able to make it through the production, he’s still keen to return to Reacher for as many books as they want to adapt. “I want to do them all,” he said.

Still, he admitted he questioned whether he’d be able to finish Season 1 or not. While many creative people suffer for their art, what Ritchson had to endure to bring Reacher Season 1 to completion went above-and-beyond what any actor should have to endure.