Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Podbit · Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Alan Ritchson

Explore episode Jul 27, 2026
TV & Film
Reacher: 56 Million Viewers, One Character

Alan Ritchson · Jul 27, 2026 TV & Film

Reacher drew 56 million global viewers in a single week of Season 2. Alan Ritchson points out what makes it unusual: unlike ensemble shows, almost all of that visibility lands on one person. It's an anthology with a rotating cast built around a single titular character — and the scale of it is something even he calls unprecedented.

Where this was said

From Titans to Reacher: The Road to the Defining Role

At 1:04:30 · chapter starts 58:30

After the craft revelation, Alan describes years of relentless self-belief punctuated by near-misses. He walked out of his Titans audition so sure he'd booked the lead that he called Catherine and told her he was buying a Tesla P100D — one of the fastest production cars at the time — before receiving any offer. He got the call: they wanted him, but not for the lead. He turned down Hawk five times, convinced Shazam was his destiny. Geoff Johns finally called and told him the Shazam director wanted someone else and this was the last Titans offer. Alan took it, and his career accelerated. Then came Reacher: a call from the studio about his workout was the first sign this was different. Weekly body update photos. And the day before shooting began, executive producer Don Granger — Tom Cruise's longtime Skydance partner, now at Paramount — delivered a five-page handwritten letter detailing every nuance of the performance: when to clench the jaw, what a relaxed Reacher looks like, moment by moment. Rather than feeling insulted, Alan absorbed it completely.

TV & Film
Buying a Tesla Before He Booked the Job

Alan Ritchson · Jul 27, 2026 TV & Film

Alan Ritchson walked out of his Titans audition so sure he'd booked the lead that he called his wife and told her he was going to buy a Tesla. She said he hadn't booked it. He went and bought the car anyway. His instincts were right — he was offered the role — just not the one he wanted.

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