Paulie proves to be a worthy nemesis for Reacher in Lee Child’s Persuader, which makes it hard not to wonder who will play him in Reacher season 3.
Since it has been confirmed that Reacher season 3 is adapting Lee Child’s Persuader, it is hard not to be curious about who will play the book’s gigantic villain, Paulie, in the Amazon series. Serving as the seventh installment in Lee Child’s Jack Reacher book series, Persuader presents itself as a revenge story in which the titular character sets out to avenge the death of one of his colleagues. Unlike Lee Child’s Bad Luck and Trouble, which was adapted by Reacher season 2, the seventh book does not focus on a high-stakes drama where Reacher gets embroiled in an international conspiracy.
However, Persuader features one of the most compelling and intimidating villains in the Jack Reacher series, Paulie. Paulie, who is one of the two main antagonists in Persuader, is close to 7 feet tall in the original Lee Child novel. Even when it comes to strength and physical ability, Paulie is even more muscle-bound and intimidating than Reacher, making him a worthy opponent to the otherwise invincible character. Paulie’s massive stature makes it difficult to find the right actor to accurately portray him on screen, but a few stars may perfectly fit the bill.
10David Harbour
Height: 6ft 3 inches (1.90 m)
Best known for portraying Jim Hopper in Stranger Things, David Harbour stands at a towering 6 feet 3 inches. Although he is not close to 7 feet tall like Paulie in Lee Child’s Persuader, the actor is almost as big as Alan Ritchson. Harbour has also previously portrayed badass, intimidating characters in movies like Hellboy and Violent Night and has had convincing on-screen showdowns with other brawny characters like Chris Hemsworth’s Tyler in Extraction. His acting chops, ability to bring realism to action scenes, and massive stature make him a great casting choice for Paulie.
Even off-screen, Harbour has an imposing, larger-than-life presence. If he plays Paulie with the same charisma and confidence, it would be hard not to convincingly perceive him as the villain described in the original book. Since both David Harbour and Alan Ritchson are household names, their Reacher season 3 showdown would be poised to be an electrifying clash of titans if Habour takes the role.
9Dane DiLiegro
Height: 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m)
Former basketball player Dane DiLiegro has appeared in several renowned films and shows, like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and American Horror Stories. However, he is most recognizable for his portrayal of the terrifying Predator in 2022’s Prey. The actor is close to 6 feet 8 inches tall, making him significantly bigger than Alan Ritchson and nearly as massive as Paulie in Lee Child’s Persuader. Although DiLiegro does not have many acting credits under his belt, he has established his ability to portray antagonistic characters in movies like Prey and Imaginary and shows like Sweet Home.
8Olivier Richters
Height: 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m)
Also known as “The Dutch Giant,” Olivier Ritchers stands at an astonishing 7 feet 2 inches. Since he is also a professional bodybuilder, his weight is somewhere around 330 pounds (150 kg), making him nearly 100 pounds heavier than Alan Ritchson in Reacher season 2. Unsurprisingly, he also holds the record of being the “tallest professional bodybuilder” as of 2021. When compared with Lee Child’s version of Paulie, Olivier Ritchers almost perfectly embodies him with his formidable physique and may even be slightly bigger than the original villain.
When it comes to his acting career, Ritchers has over ten acting credits on his resume. He is best known for playing Ursa in Black Widow, Huge Machine Shack Guard in The King’s Man, and Hauke in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. While he may still be in the early years of his acting career, Ritchers has a well-established history of appearing in renowned movie franchises and leveraging his stature to portray imposing characters, which will come in handy if he plays Paulie in Reacher season 3.
7Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
Height: 6 feet 9 inches (2.05 m)
The 195 kg powerlifter, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, has an imposing height of 6 feet 9 inches. While he has appeared in numerous movies and shows in the past, he is most recognizable for playing Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in Game of Thrones and Thórfinnr Tooth-Gnasher in The Northman. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson’s physical prowess and past roles convincingly sell him as Reacher season 3’s Paulie. However, his background as an elite professional strongman further proves that he would also be able to portray the strength and combat skills that one would expect Paulie to have in Reacher.
6Kim Kold
6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m)
Weighing 320 lbs (155 kg) and standing at a height of 6’4″ (1.93 m), Kim Kold has a powerful physique and a towering stature, which often allows him to bring an air of intimidation and dominance in his performances. However, other than playing roles that merely reflect his strong demeanor, Kim Kold has also taken on relatively softer parts in movies like Teddy Bear. It is these movies that capture his ability to showcase versatility as an actor. If he gets to play Paulie in Reacher season 3, Kold can draw upon his diverse acting experiences and bring more depth to the Lee Child villain.
5Tyler Mane
6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m)
Best known for playing Sabretooth in X-Men and Ajax in Troy, Tyler Mane (born Daryl Karolat) is a retired professional wrestler. He weighs around 295 lb (134 kg) and is as tall as 6 feet 8 inches, allowing him to become one of the ideal candidates for the role of Paulie in Reacher season 3. By portraying Micheal Myers in Halloween II, Tyler Mane has already put his ability to play terrifying villains on full display. In X-Men, the actor’s Sabretooth also dukes it out with Wolverine in an intense and physically demanding confrontation, which again demonstrates his aptitude for action roles.
Mane would also be around six inches taller than Alan Ritchson, which is the same height difference portrayed between Reacher and Paulie in the original Lee Child book.
With his background in professional wrestling, Tyler Mane would bring the kind of physicality and athleticism to Paulie that only a few others would. Mane would also be around six inches taller than Alan Ritchson, which is the same height difference portrayed between Reacher and Paulie in the original Lee Child book. Considering how nearly every factor one would consider while casting Paulie seems in Mane’s favor, it is hard not to see why he wouldn’t get the part
4Nathan Jones
Height: 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m)
Most would recognize Nathan Jones for his portrayal of Rictus Erectus in Mad Max: Fury Road. However, long before the actor dipped his feet into acting, he was a professional wrestler and powerlifter. Jones also briefly pursued martial arts before transitioning into the entertainment industry. Standing at a height of 6 ft 10 in and weighing close to 350 pounds, Nathan Jones comes incredibly close to perfectly matching Paulie’s physical stats in Lee Child’s Persuader. He has also been acting for the past 28 years, underscoring his extensive experience and affirming that he is versatile enough to convincingly play Paulie.
3Paul Wight
Height: 7 feet (2.13 m)
Since Paul Wight, better known as “Big Show” in the world of professional wrestling, is close to 7 feet tall and 200 kg in weight, he might actually be even bigger than Persuader’s Paul. However, since Reacher season 2 has heavily hinged on portraying exaggerated drama and over-the-top action sequences, season 3 should have no trouble leveraging Big Show’s immense size and presence and portraying him as an even bigger version of the original Paulie. Big Show also has a few acting credits under his belt along with his WWE experience, equipping him with the stage presence required to play Paulie.
2Pablo Schreiber
Height: 6 feet 5 inches (1.94 m)
When it solely comes to physicality, Pablo Schreiber may be relatively closer to Alan Ritchson’s height and weight than Paulie is supposed to be to Reacher’s. However, what makes him an intriguing casting choice for Reacher season 3 is his long history of inhabiting diverse characters in films and shows of different genres. From sci-fi video game adaptations like Halo to prison dramas like Orange is the New Black, Pablo Schreiber has consistently kept an open mind to exploring a wide range of roles and genres, proving that he would do justice to Paulie’s character beyond mere physical attributes.
1Kevin Durand
Height: 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m)
Kevin Durand has previously played dimwitted and superstrong characters like Fred Dukes/The Blob in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He has also portrayed ruthless and stoic villains like Martin Keamy in Lost. Audiences may also remember him for his comic timing and charisma in Wild Hogs. Not to mention, he is also incredibly tall, with a reported height of almost 6 feet 6 inches. Therefore, if it wasn’t for Alan Ritchson, it would be hard not to perceive Durand as the new live-action Jack Reacher. However, since that is not possible anymore, he should get to play Paulie in Reacher season 3.
