Reacher as a Prime Video/Amazon series brings us a more physically accurate rendition of Lee Child’s wandering hero than the Tom Cruise movies did. At least, Alan Ritchson comes close enough at 6’3″ to the 6’5″ hulking ex-military cop with “hands like dinner plates.” Yet in the third season, based upon the Persuader novel, the undercover Reacher and his guns look positively average compared to his biggest (size-wise) foe ever, Paulie.
Amazon previewed a few punches to come, and in a new teaser, Paulie attempts to get Reacher’s number on how much he can bench press, and the Big Guy doesn’t know and doesn’t care: “Because it’s stupid.” That turns into Reacher quickly outsmarting Paulie (who deftly punches himself), which is only the beginning of their mutual grumbling toward each other.
Exactly how massive is the Bigger Guy? Persuader features Reacher’s observation that Paulie looks “like a cartoon.” He is about 200 pounds heavier and at least half a foot taller than Reacher:
“I have to center myself quite carefully to walk through a standard thirty-inch doorway. This guy was at least six inches taller than me and probably ten inches wider across the shoulders. He probably outweighed me by two hundred pounds. Maybe by more. I got that core shudder I get when I’m next to a guy big enough to make me feel small. The world seems to tilt a little … He must have been gobbling steroids like candy for years.”
One of the more charmingly silly qualities of Reacher is that we’re supposed to believe that his physique withstands potato chips, pork rinds, and pie as often as possible. Alan Ritchson, on the other hand, has to work like hell, eat clean, and ingest 4,500 calories daily to stay jacked. Meanwhile, the man who portray’s Paulie, Oliver “The Dutch Giant” Ritchers, is 7’2″ in reality and has been named the world’s tallest pro bodybuilder by Guinness World Records. Perspective is probably everything when lining up comparison shots of Reacher and Paulie, but the dude is undeniably a giant.
Unsurprisingly, Ritchers maintains his voluminous physique with even more food than Alan Ritchson does. He recently told Empire that he ate 7,000 calories per day to prepare for the Paulie-Reacher showdown. And he previously claimed to Men’s Health that he’s so good at eating that he can swallow 1000 calories (including 70 grams of protein) in 3 minutes. Yikes.
Reacher‘s third season debuts on Feb. 20, 2025.
