Alan Ritchson's Hollywood career has taken him to a lot of different places; many of you will remember him playing Aquaman in Smallville, a series he only appeared in a handful of times (the fact he's so fondly remembered as the Justice League member says a lot about the impact he made).
The DC series didn't really serve as the actor's big break, though one very nearly came when he auditioned for 2011's Thor. Unfortunately, despite being an apparent frontrunner, his attitude at the time might have cost him the role of a lifetime.
"I didn’t take it seriously," Ritchson recalls in an interview with Men's Health. "I was like, 'They'll throw me the part if I look like the guy; nobody really cares about acting.'" Marvel Studios let his team know the God of Thunder had been his to lose, but he simply hadn't shown "the craft."
Chris Hemsworth ultimately nabbed the part and Ritchson, tormented by his mistake, enlisted an acting coach (The Shawshank Redemption's Deborah Aquila) so he could find that fabled "craft." From there, he racked up appearances in everything from Black Mirror, New Girl, and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
However, when Titans hit his radar, the actor was confident he'd be cast as Robin/Nightwing.
"I was so confident. I was like, 'This is the best damn audition I’ve ever had in my life. There’s no way they can do this show without me,'" he remembered. So confident was Ritchson, that he bought himself a Tesla, only for the role to go to Brenton Thwaites after he was deemed too old. While he'd later be cast as Hawk, it was yet another blow.
Everything changed when he boarded Prime Video's Reacher, though. "I had about 50 offers the weekend after season 1 of Reacher opened [in 2022]," Ritchson says. "I knew my life had changed."
The full interview is well worth a read, particularly as he goes into detail about his battle with bipolar disorder. In recent weeks, we've seen the actor make his interest known in suiting up as the DCU's Batman for DC Studios.
In an interview to promote Reacher season 2, it was put to Ritchson that the title character is essentially "Batman without a cape." He responded, "[Laughs] With all the rumours flying that I’m supposed to be playing Batman, how can I knock Batman? I would love to play Batman."
"You know, [Batman without a cape] is a great analogy, actually. But I mean, Batman has got like a cave, and Reacher doesn’t even have a house. He’s got a toothbrush. So, I think Batman has got cool stuff. Dude is loaded and has caves, penthouses, and spotlights that call him. Batman’s cooler."
Do you think a major superhero role could finally be in the actor's future?