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Alan Ritchson auditioned for several notable superhero and action hero roles throughout his career, including Marvel’s Thor, before starring in the title role in Prime Video’s hit series Reacher . In a new cover story for Men’s Health magazine, Ritchson reveals that he auditioned for the role of the hammer-wielding God of Thunder and thought his appearance would lead him to the lead role in the 2011 Marvel movie.
“I didn’t take it seriously,” Ritchson said of the audition. “I thought, ‘If I looked like that guy, they’d throw me the role.'” But the casting team told Ritchson’s representatives that the actor thought he had “talent.” The role was ultimately given to Chris Hemsworth.
At that point in his career, Ritchson appeared on “American Idol,” played Aquaman in several episodes of “Young Ville,” and played the role of Thad Castle on the Spike TV sitcom “Blue Mountain State.” It became a big hit as a comedy. He had hoped that after “Blue Mountain State,” there would be “a wealth of comedies to choose from,” but he received no offers.
After failing to audition for “Thor,” Ritchson enrolled in classes and landed small roles on shows like “Black Mirror,” “New Girl,” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” I started taking acting more seriously. He was then cast in a recurring role as Hank Hall/Hawk on Titans from 2019 to 2021. These projects paved the way for Ritchson’s breakthrough success with Reacher.
“We had about 50 offers the weekend after Season 1 of Reacher started,” Ritchson said. “I knew my life had changed.”
