Reacher star Alan Ritchson says he lost Marvel role as he ‘didn’t take audition seriously’

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Reacher actor Alan Ritchson has revealed he missed out on starring as a Marvel superhero because he didn’t take the audition “seriously”.

Ritchson, who is currently starring in the TV adaptation of the Child’s novel by Lee Child, said he has auditioned for several superhero roles throughout his career.

The former Smallville actor revealed he auditioned for the role of Thor – the hammer wielding mythical God of thunder – in the Marvel franchise.

“I didn’t take it seriously,” Ritchson told Men’s Health.

“I was like, ‘They’ll throw me the part if I look like the guy; nobody really cares about acting,'”

The 41-year-old actor said the Marvel casting team rejected him because they thought he hadn’t shown that he had “the craft”.

The rule ultimately went to Chris Hemsworth, who has starred in the titular role four times, as well as various other times in the Marvel Universe.

After losing out on the role, Ritchson said he took acting more seriously by participating in lessons and auditioning for smaller roles on shows like Black Mirror,New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Ritchson found success with Reacher, which has received critical acclaim and was the most streamed television series in the week the first season was released.

“I had about 50 offers the weekend after Season one of Reacher opened,” Ritchson said. “I knew my life had changed.”

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FanS have been eagerly awaiting the release of the third season of Reacher, after the second season aired at the end of January.

Season one of Reacher was based on Lee Child’s debut novel, Killing Floor, published in 1997, but the second season jumped ahead and depicted events seen in 2007’s Bad Luck and Trouble, the 11th book in the series.

Ritchson announced last month that season three will adapt Child’s novel Persuader, the seventh book in the Jack Reacher franchise that was published in 2003.

Ritchson shared the news on Instagram, stating: “Heer comes the big reveal. This year’s book for Jack Reacher takes place in Maine. Persuader is one of the best books there is. I can’t wait for you to see this season.

The plot synopsis for Persuader reads: “When Reacher witnesses a brutal kidnap attempt, he takes the law into his own hands. But a cop dies. Has Reacher lost his sense of right and wrong?”

Reacher was developed for Prime Video by Nick Santora.