With the new Amazon series Reacher bringing the Jack Reacher novels back to life with hulking actor Alan Ritchson in the lead role, author Lee Child wants everyone to know he still has lots of love for Tom Cruise portraying the hero in two films despite lacking the character’s height from the books. While promoting the new series, Child said Cruise’s casting was still the right call even as fans of the books raised concerns about the 5’7″ actor playing Reacher, who’s described as “6’5”, being extremely tall, extremely broad, long-armed and long-legged’, in addition to having a thick neck and hands the size of dinner plates.”
As Child explains, Cruise won over movie audiences, and that’s what mattered most at the time. Via Metro:
‘There was criticism from the book fans, because they had built up a very clear image of what Reacher should look like,’ said the writer, who is an executive producer on the show.
Child explained how he found it ‘interesting’ that ‘non-book fans really liked those movies’, because ‘they were kind of convinced by Cruise in that sense’.
While Child is happy with how Cruise’s portrayal worked out, he’s also excited about Ritchson bringing a more book-accurate physicality to the role for the Amazon series.
“I think that the size thing is important to certain parts of the narrative,” Child said. “Reacher has got to scare people and you can do that so much easier with one glance of this huge animal rather than a normal-sized actor.”
Not to get weird about people’s heights or anything, but has anyone ever called Tom Cruise “normal-sized” before? We’re just curious, and not trying to insinuate he’s short or anything. Nope, definitely not.
Reacher is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
(Via Metro)