Alan Ritchson addresses his portrayal of Jack Reacher and how a beloved movie star helped influence the performance.

Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in Season 2 of Reacher

One of today’s most popular action heroes is Reacher‘s Jack Reacher, and actor Alan Ritchson is giving credit to a beloved actor for inspiration.

As Reacher is a brute force, the character has been compared to classic action movie heroes like Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando character, John Matrix. Per Variety, Ritchson considers himself a big fan of those actors and their respective characters, but he names Harrison Ford as the actor who was most influential on the Jack Reacher performance. Ritchson explained that he appreciated how Ford brought a certain “grizzled malice” to his characters, and this was something that has been applied to Jack Reacher as well

“The way that he can make you laugh as he grunts the line through gritted teeth … we don’t have a lot of men that can do that these days,” Ritchson said. “But it’s something that I like to bring to characters: that grizzled malice while finding a way to remain likable.”

Ford may be best known for his franchise roles as Han Solo in Star Wars and Indiana Jones. He also appeared in several memorable action movies, such as The Fugitive, The Devil’s Own, and Air Force One.

The veteran actor recently wrapped up his run as Indiana Jones with the fifth Indiana Jones movie released in theaters earlier this year, and he’s been doing more work on the small screen as of late. He is set to return for a second season of the Yellowstone spinoff series 1923, and will also be back for Season 2 of the Apple TV+ dramedy series Shrinking.

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 Reacher at a desk reading papers Reacher Dixon Neagley and O'Donnell in Orzoco's office with paper everywhere Reacher in a suit taking cover behind a gravestone with a gun in his hand

As for Ritchson, the hulking actor could be sticking with the role of Jack Reacher for quite a while. The show has already been renewed for Season 3, and filming is currently underway.

The continued popularity and acclaim of the series is also another great sign for Reacher moving forward. Given that there are nearly 30 of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books to draw from for inspiration, there’s no telling just how long this show could end up going on.

Outside of Reacher, Ritchson also had a role in this year’s franchise sequel Fast X. He is also a part of the star-studded cast of Guy Ritchie’s next movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which also stars Henry Cavill, and Eiza Gonzalez. The film will release in 2024.