With Reacher Season 2 reaching its epic conclusion on Amazon Prime Video, fans of Lee Child’s books upon which the show is based might be wondering: how tall is Jack Reacher?
Child’s first book, Killing Floor, was published in 1997. It focuses on a drifter ex-military officer Jack Reacher, whose imposing physique turns heads wherever he goes.
Jack Reacher has come to life on the small and big screen with the Jack Reacher movies and Prime Video’s Reacher series. While the movies star Tom Cruise in the titular role, Prime Video’s Reacher series is headlined by Blue Mountain State actor Alan Ritchson.
These two adaptations are very different in how they portray Reacher’s looks and stature. So it begs the question: which actor more closely resembles the book version of Jack Reacher when it comes to height?
How tall is Jack Reacher?
Lee Child’s books describe Jack Reacher as being 6 feet 5 inches tall.
Child also notes Reacher as having blonde hair and weighing roughly 250 pounds. Many fans therefore argue Cruise wasn’t the best choice to portray the character, as he stands at 5 feet 7 inches and has dark hair.
By contrast, when Amazon Studios announced Ritchson would lead the rebooted series, the casting decision was met with praise. Ritchson stands at6 feet 2 inches, just a few inches shy of the book character. He also happens to be naturally blonde.
According to Looper, Ritchson gained roughly 30 pounds for Season 1. “I had an assistant whose only job was to bring me food. It was like a conveyor belt of smoothies and protein,” he said. In an interview with Men’s Journal, the actor said his normal and comfortable weight sits at 205 lbs, but he had to go even higher for the series.
Seeing as some time passed leading into Reacher Season 2, Ritchson is bigger than ever before and has gained more mass, making his overall height seem more intimidating. According to The Hindustan Times, Child felt Ritchson “commanded” a room better because of his stature and physique.
Reacher Season 2 is streaming now on Prime Video, which you can sign up for here.