August 1, 2026, 4:03 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
In August, Alan Ritchson returns for the fourth season of “Reacher.” Once again, he muscles his way through dangerous situations. The 43-year-old seems tailor-made for the role. However, it wasn’t always that way. In an interview, Alan Ritchson revealed the pressure he faced to have perfect muscles—a demand that greatly expanded his understanding of the daily pressures many women in Hollywood experience.
Finally, the big breakthrough—Alan Ritchson was thrilled to land the lead role in the series “Reacher.” But it quickly became clear what enormous expectations came with it. After fans of the book series were upset with Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher in the films, nothing was left to chance—including Alan Ritchson’s physique.
Unpleasant Call
“It was the first time I got a call from the studio saying, ‘Let’s talk about your training,'” the actor recently recalled on the podcast “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.” “I didn’t like the call about my weight, like, ‘You need to be bigger and stronger.’ People used to just trust that I would look fit. I’d never had a call like that before.”
Weekly Muscle Updates
That one unsettling call wasn’t the end of it. Alan Ritchson’s muscle training and progress were to be monitored. “They said, ‘We want photos, send us weekly updates,'” Ritchson recounted. “It’s tough when you’re suddenly so focused on your own body. I thought, ‘Everyone’s staring at me.’ But I made it my mission.” Alan Ritchson evidently achieved what was required. However, the muscle pressure also led to questionable measures. In addition to intense training and a high-calorie diet, the actor also underwent testosterone therapy to meet the desired body ideal.
Ritchson isn’t the only one familiar with the pressure to not only convincingly play a film or series character but also meet others’ visual expectations. His Hollywood colleagues Zac Efron and Channing Tatum have also revealed the extreme measures they had to take to meet unrealistic expectations of athletic bodies.
Alan Ritchson’s experience brought him an important insight: “It was interesting to be under the microscope like that. I can really empathize with women now, what they go through in this industry. For women, it’s like that all the time.”