Even though Reacher won’t be returning to the 2025 TV schedule, fans will be able to watch Alan Ritchson in action on the big screen across multiple projects, and if the Neagley spinoff debuts this year, that one as well. Given the actor and his forever-chiseled abs almost exclusively takes on physically demanding roles with plenty of marquee fight scenes (Reacher included), one would think his innate athleticism wouldn’t be questioned in any way. And yet…
While in the Great North to promote Motor City, the period movie he switched up his look for, at the Toronto International Film Festival, Ritchson learned that “the Internet” wonders whether or not he considers himself to be athletic. The Titans vet was quickly taken aback, and responded in a hilariously self-aware way that was oozing with sassiness. Check out how his reply to KISS 92.5’s assertion on TikTok:
Does the internet really ask that question? If they have to ask, I guess not! Am I a little to slow and old and round for... No? I would have considered myself athletic [before this].
I'm so amused by his first instinct being to question the validity of what he was being asked about. Since that does seem like a bizarre thing for anyone to question publicly in a way that could be noted for a later generalization. It's like asking if an award-winning singer thinks they have a good voice, or if a Nobel Laureate thinks they're intelligent. The wording doesn't fully indicate the questioning party's assumptions, but it's close enough.
An actor whose sense of humor has always been part of his charm, Ritchson is great at not-quite-deadpanning into the camera with amused sauciness. Which he had on full display as he continued, saying:
I was doing athletic stuff today. I was propelling off a building. That’s pretty athletic.
Ritchson then compared that kind of question to moments when passersby will ask someone if they're famous, since the whole act of having to ask makes it clear that the person isn't famous enough to escape that specific question. A lot of people just shouldn't be allowed out of their hovels to talk to others, probably. I kid, I kid. (I'm not.)
Check out the video clip below to see that smirk remain planted on his face throughout his response.
I guess if workout videos and shirtless social media posts aren't enough to prove how athletic he is, his upcoming projects lineup should do the trick. Beyond Motor City, which has been getting much acclaim following its weekend premiere, Ritchson has the Christmas movie The Man with the Bag opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, the action-comedy Playdate with Kevin James and Sarah Chalke, the sci-fi thriller War Machine with Dennis Quaid and Stephan James, and Scott Waugh's action-thriller Runner co-starring Owen Wilson and Rodrigo Santoro.
He's currently filming Reacher Season 4, so no worries about having to go without the Lee Childs badass for too long. All three previous seasons can currently be streamed via Amazon Prime subscription while waiting for more updates.
