"But that was my childhood" — When Reacher star Alan Ritchson revealed his favorite food from the era of 80s and 90s
Alan Ritchson's portrayal of former US military police Jack Reacher in the Amazon Prime series Reacher has also been universally praised. To play the role, the actor had to transform physically, gain many muscles, and look significantly bulkier. However, despite his incredible transformation and fitness requirement, the actor once shared with Men's Health that he is not particularly disciplined in his diet.
This habit of his has continued since childhood as his favorite food growing up during the 80s and the 90s was processed Spam. In the interview with Men's Health posted on YouTube on March 21, 2024, he said:
"I would open up a can of Spam and slice it out. We sauted it in a pan and throw it on a sandwich with like processed American cheese. Just peel that plastic off and add a little mustard on white bread. It doesn't get all American than a white bread mustard cheese spam sandwich. But that was my childhood."
Reacher, developed by Nick Santora, is based on the Jack Reacher book series by Lee Child. The story revolves around the titular character, a highly intelligent, skilled, and physically strong former US Army military policeman who often encounters dangerous criminals and never hesitates to teach them a lesson.
Alan Ritchson's favorite childhood food used to be a Spam sandwich
During a talk with Men's Health, Alan Ritchson revealed that his diet growing up wasn't particularly healthy. He admitted to consuming a lot of Spam, a famous canned luncheon meat made from pork and ham. He would sort the meat, put it in a sandwich with white bread and mustard, and eat it with processed cheese.
"Growing up, you know...it was a different era. It was 80s and 90s. Spam was huge." He said.
During the interview, he revealed his usual diet at home and the food he has to consume while playing Reacher. He would consume the equivalent of four full-course meals in a day, having them on an hourly basis.
Lee Child's Jack Reacher has become an iconic modern literary and cinema character, much like Keanu Reeve's John Wick. The author described the incredibly strong character as a hobo who doesn't discriminate between bad and good food. For him, a calorie is a calorie, no matter where it comes from.
Alan Ritchson gained over 30 pounds to play Jack Reacher
To play the hero, Alan Ritchson went to a crazy workout routine and diet plan. In an interview with GQ, published on January 19, 2024, the actor confirmed that he gained over 30 pounds to get into the ideal Reacher shape. He said:
"I want to clarify one thing because in every interview someone says ‘30 pounds of muscle’. I put on 30 pounds! I don't know how much of that was lean muscle. I went from 205lb to 235lb in eight months, I was eating a tonne. I don't think all of that was muscle."
Alan Ritchson also clarified that his growth was purely natural, and he didn't take any steroids or testosterone boosters.
"I didn't take steroids, I didn't take testosterone. There was only one way to get where I needed to be and that was hard work. I fu*king wrecked my body, dude. It was too much. I didn't have time to heal. I would strain something and I was like, ‘I don't care! I'm working through it!’ I suffered the consequences."
What is Reacher season 3 about?
The stoic Jack Reacher battles villains once more for a new cause in Reacher season 3. The season premiered with the first three episodes on February 20, 2025. The majority of the characters from the previous two seasons have been cut off for a fresh take, as the story is based on the novel titled Persuader. Reacher collaborates with his associate Frances Neagley and DEA Agent Sonya Cassidy to take on new and more ruthless bad guys.
The series is available to stream exclusively on Prime Video. Here's how the platform describes it:
"Based on Lee Child novel "Persuader", Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise when trying to rescue an undercover DEA informant whose time is running out. There he finds a world of secrecy and violence—and confronts some unfinished business from his own past."
Stay tuned for more news and updates on Alan Ritchson and other celebrities as the year unfolds.
