Reacher star Alan Ritchson shares details on his diet and workout regimen for season 2, reflecting on the impact of his physical transformation.

Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in a shot from Reacher season 2, episode 2

SUMMARY

 Alan Ritchson built a gym in his house and focused on eating and working out to prepare for Reacher season 2.
 The physical transformation of Reacher has drastically altered Ritchson’s career and life.
 Ritchson’s portrayal of Reacher has allowed him to be himself and has opened up new opportunities in his career.

Reacher‘s Alan Ritchson opens up about his diet and workout regimen for season 2. The second outing of the popular Lee Child adaptation moves quicker than the first, wasting little time before letting its protagonist get into fights. But, while the character tends to shrug off his imposing presence as a plain fact, Ritchson is aware of the effort it takes to get into Reacher shape.

In an interview with USA Today to promote the premiere of Reacher season 2 on Prime Video, Ritchson shed light on how he got ready to play the lead role. He also touches on how the physical transformation has drastically altered his career and even his life. The quotes are included below:

“I built a gym in my house and all I did was eat and work out. [For season 2, Ritchson added weight to] “solidify what was there and to shape it.”

“25 films on my desk right now (where) I just get to be me. I get to look the way that I look, carry myself the way I carry myself,” he adds. “It’s been life changing.”

Ritchson’s Diet & Regimen For Reacher Season 2 & Impact On His Career

Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in Reacher season 2, episode 1

In the USA Today article, Ritchson mentions that his character’s healthy appetite is not all that dissimilar from real life. At one point, the Fast X star shares a funny story of how he typically orders “three or four entrees.”

He talks about how people assume others will be joining him at the table because of it. Ritchson also looked back at playing Aquaman on Smallville. He said that, compared to how he looks now, he was a skinny marathon runner during the superhero teen drama.

Ritcherson also reflects on how the Reacher role had a greater impact, saying: “It was the first time in my career that anybody ever told me what I had to do with my body.”

He’s candid about how that has changed things. He notes that he’s always been big enough to portray a superhero, as he’s done with his portrayal of Hawk in Titans, but he also fits the role of a stepdad. He indicates that may have led to some awkwardness in terms of which parts to cast him for.

The former Abercrombie & Fitch model does end on a note of humor. Asked how much bigger he could for the already-renewed third installment, Ritchson is playfully worried that he’ll just keep eating.

He jokes that he’ll get lazy, which would in turn cause Reacher to look different: “All those peach pies are going to make their way in,” he points out, referencing a recurring gag from the show’s debut.