"You're going to get killed"- Alan Ritchson shares some frightening 'huge fight' memories from the shoot of Reacher season 3 episode 8 (finale)
Reacher season 3 episode 8 (finale) finally gave fans the highly anticipated showdown between Alan Ritchson's Jack Reacher and Olivier Richters' Paulie. This particular fight sequence was the most brutal one that the titular hobo had ever gotten into so far.
Ritchson insisted on doing the scene in Reacher season 3 episode 8 (finale), where Paulie smashed Reacher's face through a table on the barn floor. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly dated March 26, 2025, Ritchson claimed that he got into a "huge fight" with his team because they wanted a stunt double to do the scene. He said:
"Everybody was like, 'You're going to get killed and we're not going to do that because it's going to hurt you too bad.' And so we're going to do it with a stuntman and a camera on the floor.' And I was like, 'No.'"
He further said:
"I was like, 'I'm doing it. We're doing it.' And I won. Reluctantly, they're like, 'You better not die because we said you're going to die, and we tried to warn you.'"
Alan Ritchson revealed the consequence of doing that stunt in Reacher season 3 episode 8 (finale)
The warning from the crew went unheeded, and Alan Ritchson did that stunt scene in Reacher season 3 episode 8 (finale) anyway. The result? He was passed out for over a day after filming that scene. He said:
"I got picked up and we worked out the camera thing a few times and he slammed me through the table so hard, I went through it into the seventh circle of hell. And I woke up a day and a half later."
Ritchson further said that after regaining consciousness, he had to tell his children that he was all right because he did not want them to worry that something had happened to him. He described it as some of the worst few minutes of his life.
Notably, the idea to shoot the scene that way was Ritchson's own because he wanted the audience to feel the stunt was authentic. He told the outlet:
"And I get the bright idea to shoot a stunt in a way, because I was like, 'I want the audience to know that I'm doing this for us. I'm taking one for Reacher and we're all in this together,' and so I wanted the camera to come up and just stay on my face the whole time while I get smashed through a table on the barn floor."
Also read: Does Villanueva die in Reacher season 3? Details explored
Jack Reacher series author Lee Child was worried that Paulie would be impossible to bring to life
Alan Ritchson's Reacher is 6 feet 2 inches and weighs more than 200 lbs. Finding someone who could fit the bill of the protagonist that Lee Child had designed for his books was no easy feat. This new season presented the showrunners with a whole new challenge, as they had to find someone to play Paulie, a character who would be taller and heavier than Ritchson.
Also read: What book by Lee Child is Reacher season 3 based on? Unraveling details on adaptation
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in February 2025, Child revealed that he was doubtful that they would be able to find someone to portray the gigantic villain. He said:
"'Where are we going to find that guy?' That was the thing that I thought, 'How are they going to do this?' It was literally an international search."
Luckily, Olivier Richters, a bodybuilder and actor often referred to as the 'Dutch giant', fit the character description for Paulie and did a great job at bringing the character to life. The final showdown between Paulie and Reacher in Reacher season 3 episode 8 (finale) certainly proved that Richters was perfect for the role.
Also read: How did Jack Reacher kill Paulie in Reacher season 3 episode 8 (finale)? Details explored
Reacher season 3 episode 8 (finale) is available to stream on Prime Video.
