Reacher actor Alan Ritchson has revealed that he once auditioned for the role of Thor in the MCU, but ultimately passed up the role because he wasn’t taken “seriously” enough.
In a new interview with Men’s Health, Ritchson said he heard from people that he would be rejected for the role of the hammer-wielding god in the 2011 film Thor, but that he had to rely on his looks to win the role. I admitted that I had gone too far. His “technique” ended up being stolen by Chris Hemsworth.
“I didn’t take it seriously,” Ritchson said of his Thor audition. “I thought, ‘If I looked like that guy, he’d be thrown out of the role, no one would care about acting.'”
Ritchson wasn’t the only actor to miss out on a role in Thor. Last year, Chris Pratt revealed that he had auditioned to become Hemsworth’s “one of the sidekicks” of the Mjolnir-wielding Norse god, but like all Marvel auditions, he didn’t hear back and almost gave up. It is said that it became. Totally about the MCU.
Of course, Pratt donned the red-eyed helmet of Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, and Ritchson began working with an acting coach to hone his acting skills. He landed several small roles on shows such as “Black Mirror,” “New Girl,” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” as well as a recurring role on DC’s “Titans.”
Ritchson became widely known over the next few years, playing the title character in Prime Video’s Reacher, which is currently filming season three. He identified this role as his breakthrough role, admitting in 2022 that he had “about 50 offers the weekend after Season 1 of Reacher started,” and that from that point on, his “My life has changed,” he said.
Filmmaker and well-known comic book fan Kevin Smith recently called Ritchson’s version of Reacher “Batman without the cape,” fueling rumors that he could be playing the DCU’s new Batman. Ritchson said he would “love” to play the role, as Matt Reeves is set to take on the role of the caped crusader after Robert Pattinson was ruled out.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on her X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
