Alan Ritchson Recalls How Reacher’s Season 1 Crowbar Fight Left Him With Terrifying Injury

Summary

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• Alan Ritchson suffered a real injury during the crowbar fight scene in Reacher season 1, with blood pouring out of his head after being hit by a sugar glass vase.
• Despite the physical toll on his body, Reacher’s character is portrayed as almost superhuman, able to handle intense altercations and fight scenes despite the pain and discomfort.
• The intense action sequences in Reacher will only continue to grow, with season 2 featuring new cast members and even more challenging fight scenes, showcasing the show’s ability to up the ante season after season.

Alan Ritchson recalls the Reacher season 1 crowbar fight, and how it left him with an actual, terrifying injury. The series, based on the Jack Reacher novels, is centered around a former military police officer and his exploits. Along with Ritchson, the cast of Reacher includes Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzgerald, Bruce McGill, Maria Sten, Shaun Sipos, Serinda Swan, and more. Released on Prime Video, the show has maintained impressive viewership, and generated praise for its action. In one particular season 1 sequence, Reacher attacked a group of men in Paul Hubble’s home, but ended up taking several near fatal blows himself.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Ritchson discussed the crowbar fight from Reacher season 1 and explained how he actually got hurt filming. During the scene, he was struck hard enough on the head that he began bleeding and experienced a lot of pain afterward. Read Ritchson’s comments about Reacher’s crowbar fight below:

“We shot a crowbar fight in season one, where I got hit in the head with a vase (made of sugar glass) and ended up in a pool with the gunman. I was in so much pain after filming. I had a beanie on and that sugar vase hit so hard when I took the beanie off, I had blood pouring out of my head. So I called (executive producer) Don Granger and I was like, ‘OK, question. I’m feeling it. I feel it everywhere. So, like, is Reacher limping or what’s his pain level?’ And there’s like a slight pause and Granger goes, ‘Yeah, he’s fine. He’s kind of like a superhero so he’s OK.’“

Reacher’s Intense Action Sequences Will Only Grow

Ritchson’s character managed to hold his own, despite being pushed through a glass door and severely wounded with the crowbar, making that fight at Hubble’s house one of the more memorable action sequences from Reacher. It’s interesting to hear about how physically taxing the role is, and how Reacher is superhero-like in his ability to handle altercations while dealing with the potential discomfort. At the same time, one has to contemplate just how challenging Reacher‘s intense fight scenes may be when it comes to the amount of work that goes into them.

Other noteworthy fights from the show include one inside a prison bathroom and another within an alleyway, where Reacher strangled his attacker by using a necktie and jumping from a stairwell. Looking beyond season 1, it seems things are only going to get bigger. Ritchson previously shared that there was a sequence from Reacher season 2 where he had to perform different fighting styles, which makes sense considering the character’s many skills and years of experience.

Reacher season 2, this time set in New York and featuring a slate of new cast members, is already setting up more intense action. As the series continues, it seems likely that the behind the scenes process will only get more complicated. This is a show that can really up the ante season after season and likely will, even after hearing about what happened to Ritchson during season 1.

Reacher season 2 is now streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes arriving weekly.

Source: The Associated Press