Alan Ritchson is known for his roles in Reacher, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and Smallville. Perhaps none of those would have happened if his American Idol journey wasn't cut short.
Just missed the cut
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal for a new profile, Ritchson reflected on his American Idol tenure. He appeared on the show during its third season in 2004 but was cut.
This would be a blessing in disguise for Ritchson, as a couple of years later, he landed a role in a “cheap horror film,” as he described it. That film was The Butcher, and he would go on to star in the DC Comics series, Smallville, from 2005-2010.
From there, some of Ritchson's notable credits include Blue Mountain State, Blood Drive, and Titans (another DC show). On the film side, he was landing roles in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Raphael, and Fast X. Coming up, he will star alongside Henry Cavill, Henry Golding, and Eiza González in Guy Ritchie's The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
Perhaps his biggest role, though, was in Prime Video's Reacher. Alan Ritchson plays the titular character in the action series, which is based on Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. The first season premiered in February 2022 and adapted Child's first novel, Killing Floor. A second season premiered on December 15, 2023, and adapted Bad Luck and Trouble.
Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzagerald, and Chris Webster also star alongside Ritchson. The first season of Reacher followed a binge model, meaning all eight episodes were available to stream on the same day. Season 2 premiered three episodes on December 15 and will air episodes weekly through January 19, 2024.
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