Amazon Prime Video’s “Reacher” is taking the streaming world by storm, having already been renewed for a second season. So of course CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor Sean O’Connell had to gather the stars of the hit show, including Alan Ritchson, Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzgerald, and the “Jack Reacher” author himself, Lee Child, to discuss all things “Reacher” … including a few of their favorite spoilers.
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00:00Alan! My God, you guys did it. You did it, I can't believe it.
00:03Oh wow, thank you. Thank you, nice to talk to you.
00:05I'm curious if there was an audition process, or if the team just looked at you and said,
00:09yep, there he is.
00:10I wish. I wish you were a part of the process. It would have made it a lot easier.
00:15Jack Reacher.
00:16Iron Man's deceased, retired army.
00:18Bronze star, silver star, and a purple heart.
00:21What in God's name is a guy like that doing in Margrave?
00:24You're gonna kill a whole lot of people, aren't you?
00:26Already started.
00:30Yeah, no, it was an arduous one, and for good reason.
00:32I mean, this is, the scope is not lost on me for what this is.
00:37I mean, this franchise has crossed virtually all international borders.
00:42I mean, hundreds of millions of books.
00:44It's, this is huge.
00:46And anybody would be happy and lucky to play Reacher, you know.
00:51So, yeah, it was a very competitive process,
00:54and I'm, you know, eternally grateful that I ended up with a part.
00:57My approach to that was I really thought about, what do I need?
01:00You know, what do we need out of this actor?
01:02And it all, it all boiled down, essentially, to the first two seconds of the screen test.
01:08I needed a guy who would step on the screen, not do anything, not say anything,
01:15but somehow be Jack Reacher.
01:17And that's what you need.
01:18You need to look at this guy, and you need to think instinctively in that first blink.
01:23You need to think, if I'm a good guy, he's going to be my friend.
01:27If I'm a bad guy, he's going to be my worst nightmare.
01:30And the point is, it's not me that decides.
01:32It's him that decides.
01:34And that had to be done in a look and a mood and a stance instantaneously in that first couple of seconds.
01:43And that, so that's what happened.
01:45He stepped on the screen, and I knew, that's the guy.
01:49What if I'm thinking I'm sitting across from a man who doesn't mind killing,
01:52and who has the knowledge and training to murder someone and cover it up?
01:56You'd be right.
01:58But not this murder.
02:00Alan, there's an aspect of Reacher that is hard to translate to the screen, which is,
02:05how do you make him sound like the smartest person in the room,
02:08but not so arrogant that the audience kind of turns on him?
02:12It works on the page, and you do it really well on the show.
02:15Oh, thank you.
02:16Yeah, well, I think there's an element of fun that Reacher has living life.
02:22I mean, he's not somebody who's threatened by anybody else.
02:27He's confident and self-assured, and most times he fairly is the smartest guy in the room.
02:33And I think that can make it kind of fun to let people think whatever they want.
02:39Most people think that they are the smartest person in the room,
02:42or they have something on you, or they've got you beat.
02:45And when you know that's not the case, it makes kind of a fun cat-and-mouse game.
02:49So I think finding that balance was where I tried to keep it.
02:52How difficult is it for you to establish chemistry when your scene partner is,
02:56by design, a brick wall or a blank slate like Reacher is?
03:01You know, the chemistry kind of happened immediately.
03:04It happened right away. It happened in rehearsals.
03:08Alan and I, they had brought us all in to do a rehearsal,
03:13maybe about three to four weeks out before shooting.
03:17And we have the scripts in front of us, and he just pushes the script away,
03:23starts to read, doesn't need the script.
03:25And so I pushed my script away. I didn't need the script either.
03:28And so we just both decided, without talking, to get off book that much time ahead
03:35and started riffing in the rehearsals.
03:38And that energy translated instantly on set.
03:41So it was fun. I mean, he's just an available actor.
03:45And he brings his A-game, and we just felt like we wanted to meet him there.
03:51And so it was fun. It was great. It was an honor. It was a pleasure. It was awesome.
03:56When that person is Alan, it's very easy.
04:00I think that even from our chemistry test, which was over Zoom,
04:08so not ideal circumstances to really have chemistry with anyone,
04:12we kind of managed to find chemistry there.
04:15And I think it was a really good sign that we weren't going to have a hard time.
04:20And once we actually got to meet each other and work together on set,
04:23I mean, he's a very easy person to get along with.
04:26He's incredibly positive as a human being.
04:29And we also just really enjoyed shooting the shit and having fun together.
04:35And I think that all of that translated really beautifully
04:40into our on-screen chemistry as Roscoe and Reacher
04:43because we already had a foundation there of liking each other.
04:48And I think also the characters of Roscoe and Reacher are written really well
04:54as these kind of almost foils who are both kind of hard-headed in the same way.
05:01And that gives, you know, he may be a brick wall,
05:04but Roscoe also has an opinion that she's really going to stick to.
05:08And so, you know, when you're throwing a ball against a brick wall,
05:12it still comes back.
05:14And so, you know, it was a really fun dynamic to play with, actually.
05:20I lack the ability to tolerate horse shit.
05:24I would love for you to keep going on that because I want everybody to know,
05:28and I want to know how important it is to you,
05:29that Roscoe was not this sidekick character or, worse, a damsel in distress.
05:34And I attribute a lot of that to Lee Childs' writing and characterization,
05:37but how important was that to you when you took her on?
05:39Yeah, I mean, I think that she would be offended to even hear those words.
05:43But, yeah, no, I mean, from the first read of the pilot script,
05:50it was really clear to me that Roscoe was a spitfire.
05:55She had an opinion.
05:56She was very self-assured, and she didn't need anything from anyone else.
06:00And that's a really exciting character to get to play.
06:04And I think that had she been written any other way,
06:08I probably wouldn't have been as interested in playing her.
06:12And so it was just very lucky for me that she was written that way.
06:18And, you know, reading her scenes on the page,
06:24I just wanted to say them out loud.
06:25And I think that that's always kind of a good indication
06:28that you're playing in a zone that you want to be.
06:31I don't need you looking out for me.
06:33I'm a fucking cop. That's a girl who needs your protection.
06:35Clearly.
06:36Well, what are some other aspects of Finley, though,
06:38that are kind of like rooted in Lee Childs' really colorful characterization
06:43that you enjoyed sort of exploring from episode to episode?
06:46Yeah, it was really just his backstory.
06:50His backstory kind of informs who he is and why he is the way he is.
06:55And, you know, while there could have been temptations to kind of drift away
06:59from that because kind of getting caught up in a scene or a moment,
07:04those are Finley's roots.
07:06And never forgetting that.
07:08It's a little different in the series,
07:11slightly different than what's in the book.
07:14But I think the fans of the book would appreciate that slight shift
07:19of his backstory.
07:21Is that where you left Boston?
07:23You try living in a city where every place you look's a memory
07:28of the love of your life.
07:30So what's it like seeing Margrave come to life on screen?
07:34It was amazing, you know.
07:36And that is one of the biggest contrasts between being a writer and making TV
07:40because, of course, I sit there at a table and I just say,
07:43there's this town, you know.
07:45And they had to build it.
07:47They built the whole place.
07:49An immense, immense undertaking.
07:51You know, literally they built the town.
07:54And so that was both a great set, obviously,
07:58but also a massive commitment, a statement of intent
08:02that I found incredibly reassuring.
08:05You know, they were really going to do this
08:07and they were going to do it right.
08:10You okay, Richard?
08:13Just thinking maybe my brother told me about Blind Blake for a reason.
08:17Thinking I'm supposed to do something about it.
08:20Like what?
08:24I guess I'll find everybody responsible
08:27and kill every last one of them.
08:35To that end, do you have a favorite line of dialogue
08:38or even a scene, a conversation scene that you really relished
08:41when you saw it on the page?
08:42You're like, I can't wait to play that.
08:46Yes, there was a scene with Malcolm Goodwin,
08:52who plays Oscar Finlay.
08:54And it was so brilliantly put together.
08:59It just exceeded all my expectations.
09:02And I just still remember enjoying being in that scene with him
09:06and watching his work.
09:08It didn't involve 38 Special, did it?
09:11There's a very good chance.
09:15No, you're a blues guy, Richard, but come on.
09:17You gotta feel this.
09:21Wow.
09:23Apparently I'm the only person who didn't know that song.
09:26I didn't know the song.
09:30But I learned it, obviously.
09:31I was like, let me just learn it.
09:34But yeah, that was Nick.
09:35That was Nick Santoro all the way.
09:38I think I heard it on Guitar Hero or something like that.
09:41But yeah, I'm a fan now.
09:43Let's say it that way.
09:44I'll put it that way.
09:45I'm a fan now.
09:46It's one of my most favorite interactions.
09:48When he's like, you have to groove to this.
09:50And Richard's just like, no.
09:54Finlay's music taste, I know.
09:56Do you have a favorite line of dialogue that Finlay had?
09:59Something that when you read it,
10:01you just knew you were going to relish your delivery of it.
10:04You know what?
10:05It was the carry on my wayward son.
10:08That scene when he's looking for a CD
10:12and he thinks this is the best song ever.
10:17What are you doing?
10:19I just say, white guys don't get their due.
10:21They can rock out.
10:26His musical tastes are really scary.
10:28His musical taste, I like that.
10:30I thought that was funny.
10:32There was a lot of, yeah, we broke quite a few times.
10:38Yeah, it was probably that.
10:40I think a lot of the things, obviously,
10:42there's so many comebacks to Reacher.
10:45But some of the music stuff,
10:47anything dealing with Finlay's love for classic rock
10:51and Reacher's just looking at this guy like,
10:53how do you like Kansas?
10:55How does this fit?
10:57But somehow it does.
10:59Somehow it works.
11:00And Reacher kind of jabbing at him about that.
11:05I thought it was cool.
11:07Oh, man.
11:08I mean, there's so many great one-liners
11:10and I just wish I could remember more of them.
11:13I mean, even in that first scene with Reacher in the jail cell,
11:20which I honestly should be able to remember word for word right now
11:23because I've done it so many times.
11:26But obviously, as you're asking me this,
11:28I'm not going to be able to just whip out a line.
11:30But I mean, there are so many just quippy back and forth.
11:34Assumed you liked it black.
11:36How'd you figure?
11:37Seemed like a no-nonsense guy.
11:39Premature nonsense.
11:40And yet, I think one of my favorite scenes between you two
11:42is the Patsy Cline dancing song.
11:44Yeah, I know.
11:46Isn't that a good...
11:47I mean, it's not a twist off.
11:49Oh, that's a great one-liner.
11:51You know when Alan opens the beer thing in his arm?
11:54Oh, yeah.
11:55So he brought that in.
11:56He was like, I want to open it in my arm.
11:58And I was like, you're insane.
11:59He also fully cut the inside of his arm
12:02by the end of that day of shooting.
12:04And I was like, well, if you're going to do that,
12:06then you know what I'm going to do?
12:07I'm going to smack it off on the edge of the table.
12:09Because it wasn't written like that.
12:12I basically pitched it to Nick,
12:13and he was like, that's great, do it.
12:15And so then it just became this machismo off
12:19between Roscoe and Reacher.
12:21And it was a really fun scene to shoot.
12:24And it was a great flirtatious preamble
12:27with out wanting to flirt with each other
12:30for the Patsy Cline stuff, which is...
12:33so pretty.
12:35Anytime I've tried to open a bottle that way on a table,
12:38it's just exploded all over me.
12:40They were pre-opened.
12:43Ah, the magic of Hollywood.
12:45They don't let you do that in real life on set.
12:48They're too worried they're going to have to take you
12:49to the emergency room.
12:52They're like, we can't be sending someone
12:54to the emergency room with glass cuts.
12:58Sorry, ceramic.
13:01So I'm not ashamed to say that I've read all the books,
13:04and they've changed the way that I assess situations.
13:07I walk into rooms, and I read people differently,
13:10and I look for exits.
13:12I mean, being in his skin,
13:14has it changed the way that you sort of
13:15approach your day-to-day?
13:17Yeah, I definitely find myself sitting with my back
13:19against a wall in the corner a lot more often.
13:22People think I'm antisocial now.
13:25Yeah, no, it is fun.
13:26It's funny, Don Granger, who's been a part of this
13:28for a long time, said the same thing.
13:29He's like, I get so wrapped up in these books.
13:31I find myself in restaurants eyeing people
13:33and trying to remember all the things that I'm seeing,
13:35and it's hard not to, you know, it rubs off on you.
13:38You know, you become a bit of a detective
13:40in your own life, and I, you know,
13:42I find myself doing the same thing.
13:45I also find myself seeking out diners
13:47whenever I'm traveling.
13:48Oh, yeah, yeah, a lot of pancakes
13:50and scrambled eggs on my plate.
13:52Lee Child writes a great diner scene.
13:54He does, he does.
13:55Oh, yeah, I love that diner.
13:57I love that diner, yeah.
13:58And if you, a little insider thing,
14:02if you watch in the final episode,
14:04there's a particular customer in that diner
14:06that you might recognize.
14:09We were in a set that was perfect
14:10for this interaction to happen,
14:13and I remember asking Don Granger,
14:15who's been a partner with Lee
14:17for many years on this franchise,
14:21if I thought that Lee would be up for it,
14:24you know, that I wanted him to be in the scene,
14:26and he goes, yeah, sure, let me go ask him.
14:28And so he goes, oh, he loved the idea.
14:30He's gonna do it.
14:31And I was like, no way, my hero,
14:32my hero is gonna be in the scene with me.
14:34He wants to do this.
14:36And our paths do cross.
14:38Oh, spooky.
14:39Sorry.
14:41What is a life hack that you now own
14:43because you've worked on Reacher?
14:45Because mine involves toothpicks
14:46and a hotel door.
14:48Oh, my God.
14:49Can we talk about that?
14:50Sure.
14:51We talked about that so much.
14:53We were like, how on earth would this work?
14:55And basically,
14:56what was eventually explained to us
14:58is that it just slows them down,
15:00like a half a second.
15:01Like, it's just to give Reacher
15:03enough time to react
15:05that extra half a second.
15:07Because we were like, this wouldn't work.
15:09So if you're trying to lock a door,
15:11don't lock it with toothpicks.
15:13It's not gonna work.
15:14Even when he moved the bed, he's like,
15:16I'll sleep with your head
15:17where it's expected to be.
15:18I know, I know.
15:19Don't put your head where you should be sleeping.
15:21I mean, walk into my bedroom.
15:23My bed's all over the place.
15:24Just kidding.
15:25My life hack is,
15:26you know, I learned how to fight with elbows
15:29and the back of my head.
15:30So if I ever need to punch somebody
15:33with the back of my head,
15:34I actually know how to do that.
15:36And that's a very dangerous move.
15:38So no, I think, you know,
15:41I've been a fighter for a long time
15:43and I've put it to use
15:45in a lot of different shows and films.
15:47But this was a whole different style of fighting
15:50and, you know, having that in the toolkits
15:53of the fun.
15:54Yeah.
15:55Mine's involves,
15:57if you can't use the front door,
16:00there's another way to make an exit.
16:02That's a really...
16:06If you can't use a window,
16:08you can't use the door.
16:10Right.
16:11What do you do?
16:12Reach a nose.
16:13Ever seen a Kool-Aid commercial?
16:15Oh, you gotta be kidding me.
16:16I hope they do make a move.
16:18Especially this one.
16:20I'll get you out of here on this last one.
16:22If you were able to pick a book for season two,
16:24do you have one in mind?
16:26I, you know,
16:27I should be so lucky to have a say in that,
16:29but I would want to go to Die Trying.
16:31I mean, I would just keep going in order.
16:33As I read, you know,
16:34I read them all sequentially.
16:36And although, you know,
16:38they bounce back and forth in time,
16:40as far as the story is concerned,
16:42each book got better than the last,
16:44but I just, I loved Die Trying.
16:46And I'd love to see that one made someday.
16:49Well, you know,
16:50I'm not superstitious about the next season
16:53or anything like that.
16:54But what I've learned in showbiz all my life,
16:56it is not my decision.
16:57It's not Amazon's decision.
16:59It is nobody's decision except the viewer.
17:01And yeah, if the viewer wants more,
17:04they'll get more.
17:05And yeah, I would say there's 25 more books.
17:08So let's do 25 more seasons until I'm a very old man.
17:13So be smart.
17:14Don't break the law.
17:15And promise me you won't end up in another holding cell.
17:17No.
17:20No.