Alan Ritchson made a name for himself thanks to his role in Blue Mountain State during the early 2010s and has now achieved worldwide fame because of his portrayal of Jack Reacher in the Amazon Prime series Reacher. Shockingly enough, Ritchson was also very insecure about one feature about himself.

Alan Ritchson’s portrayal of the sardonic, sarcastic, and methodical Jack Reacher has already earned him lots of name and fame from many people around the world. His portrayal has been so good that he has been compared to Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter – no one else can imagine anyone else playing those roles.

Alan Ritchson Was Surprisingly Insecure About One Physical Feature In The Past

In the books by Lee Child, Jack Reacher is a 6’5” tall mountain of muscle and grit – something that not everyone could portray. After all, many fans felt Tom Cruise was not the right fit for the character. Thankfully, Alan Ritchson fit Reacher like a glove thanks to his impeccable physique.

While speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Alan Ritchson gave a lot of insight into his childhood struggles, especially when it came to his own insecurities as a kid. This is due to the place where he loved, where everyone was manly.

“Early on, I wasn’t physically built the way I am now, and I loved expressing myself through music, singing and in-line skating. Not ideal for a guy in an area where all the dudes wore mullets and pulled up to school in four wheelers.

As a very late bloomer, I used to pray that hair would grow on my legs and armpits. One day, I was in the high-school cafeteria in my gym shorts when a kid shouted. ‘Hey, everybody, Ritchson doesn’t have any hair on his legs!’ Everyone laughed. I was mortified.”

Alan Ritchson revealed that he was insecure about the fact that he didn’t have hair on his legs and armpits – admitting that he was a late bloomer. He even recalled an embarrassing incident in high school where he was called out for having no hair on his legs.

Alan Ritchson Has An Unexpected Idol

Alan Ritchson, in his portrayal of Jack Reacher, has drawn comparisons to classic action movie heroes like Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s John Matrix. This is fitting, as Lee Child’s Jack Reacher character shares similarities with these iconic action figures.

In an interview with Variety, Alan Ritchson expressed his admiration for actors like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, appreciating their iconic characters. However, he revealed that his biggest idol is none other than Harrison Ford.

“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 likeable.”

Alan Ritchson is clearly having the time of his life as Jack Reacher. With the second season currently airing on Amazing Prime every week, we will have to wait and see how the second season will conclude.