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Reacher Season 3: Alan Ritchson Recalls Brutal Stunt Mishap That Felt Like 'Seventh Circle of Hell'; Reveals He Got Knocked Unconscious
Alan Ritchson remembers being knocked out cold while filming a stunt during the action-packed Reacher Season 3 finale. Read on to know more about what happened.
Alan Ritchson, the lead actor on Prime Video's Reacher, shared a frightening behind-the-scenes account of filming the action-packed finale of the third season.
Ritchson revealed that a high-impact stunt briefly knocked him unconscious, illustrating just how physically demanding it is to play the unstoppable Jack Reacher.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Ritchson recounted the harrowing experience during a choreographed fight scene that went awry. The stunt called for his character to be slammed through a table. Although he had practiced the move extensively, the real-time impact was far more intense than anticipated.
He recalled, "I got picked up, and we worked out the camera thing a few times. Then 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. When I came to, I had to tell my kids that I felt great because they were on set, and I didn’t want them to think that, like, Dad died and wasn’t going to be okay. It was the worst few minutes of my life," he added.
Ritchson admitted he was determined to perform the stunt himself despite objections from his team. He insisted on a close-up camera shot of his face during the brutal sequence, aiming to make the viewer feel the character’s ordeal.
He said, "The whole point is you just watch Reacher get rag-dolled for five minutes straight. And I was like, ‘This is fun. I like that this is the idea for everybody right now... I’m taking one for Reacher and we’re all in this together.’ 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."
His crew had repeatedly warned him of the risks and urged the use of a stunt double, but Ritchson refused, choosing to keep the scene authentic and personal for the audience.
The three-week shoot to capture just a few seconds of fight action on screen is a testament to the physical toll it took. Ritchson recalled the strain on his body, calling the experience grueling but rewarding.
Reflecting on the intense shoot, he said, "That was one three-second beat in 28 minutes of content—just to give you an example of what my life was like for those three weeks. It was a hoot."
Reacher Season 3's finale is now streaming on Prime Video.
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