Reacher Star Almost Played Thor (But Got Too Cocky)

Originally posted on Men's Journal | By Griff Griffin | Last updated 2/29/24

Chris Hemsworth plays Thor in the Marvel movies, but there was an even bigger, bulkier guy in the running for the role: Alan Ritchson.

The star of Reacher revealed he auditioned for 2011’s Thor, the comic book character’s MCU debut, but lost out because he didn't take it "seriously" enough.

Speaking with Men's Health, Ritchson admits he was too cocky. "I was like, 'They'll throw me the part if I look like the guy, Nobody really cares about acting.'"

While Ritchson does indeed look like the Norse God of Thunder, his attitude seems to be what made Marvel bosses opt for Hemsworth.

Ritchson hasn’t done too badly for himself, though. The 6ft3 actor is currently stomping bad guys in Amazon Prime Video’s action-drama Reacher, with a third season on the way.

Speaking of which, here are the 8 best Amazon original series.

This article first appeared on Men's Journal and was syndicated with permission.

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