Alan Michael Ritchson (born November 28, 1982 in Grand Forks, North Dakota) is an American actor, model, and singer.
Ritchson is best known for his portrayal of DC Comics characters in both live-action and animation. He was the first actor to portray Arthur Curry / Aquaman in live action, in the WB's Smallville, and later reprised the role in Justice League: The New Frontier, the animated 2008 adaptation of DC: The New Frontier. He later took the role of Hank Hall / Hawk in DC Universe's Titans.
Outside of DC projects, Ritchson is known for his role of Thad Castle on Spike TV's Blue Mountain State, as well as its follow-up movie Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland. Ritchson also portrayed Raphael in the 2010s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot films, providing motion capture and his voice.
He headlines the series, Reacher that airs on Amazon Prime Video starting 4 February 2022. Ritchson has also moved into behind the camera work, with his directorial debut Dark Web: Cicada 3301 heading to digital platforms in 2021.
Little-known fact about Ritchson: his first credit in television or film was actually American Idol in 2004, wherein he auditioned as a contestant and made it as far as the Hollywood round. Paula Abdul especially took a liking to him.
Television Without Pity pointed out at the time that his name is an anagram for "Trashcan Loin".
He openly suffers from Bipolar Disorder.
Selected filmography:
- American Idol (2004) as himself
- Smallville (2005 — 2010) as Arthur Curry / Aquaman
- Beowulf (2007) as Beowulf (reference model)
- Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) as Arthur Curry / Aquaman (voice)
- Fired Up! (2009) as Bruce
- Blue Mountain State (2010 — 2011) as Kevin Devlin "Thad" Castle
- Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland (2016)
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) as Gloss
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) as Raphael (voice & motion capture)
- The Wedding Ringer (2015) as Kip/ Carew
- Lazer Team (2016) as Adam
- Black Mirror: Nosedive (2016) as Paul
- Blood Drive (2017) as Arthur Bailey
- Titans (2018 — 2021) as Hank Hall / Hawk
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2019) as young Norm Scully (episode: "Hitchcock and Scully")
- Above the Shadows (2019) as Shayne
- Reacher (2022 — present) as Jack Reacher
- Fast X (2023) as Aimes
- The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)
He provides examples of:
- Actor-Shared Background: Jack Reacher is the son of a Marine captain and a French woman. Alan's father was a US Air Force officer, and his mother was a French teacher.
- Approval of God: He jokes that Jason Momoa got a better costume as Aquaman than he did.
- The Big Guy: Aside from Jack Reacher, he often falls into this role by default due to being 6'4 and hugely built.
- Casting Gag: He and Jason Momoa both star in Fast X when both are the two most notable live-action Aquaman actors.
- Contractual Obligation Project: His only reason for participating in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and he tried quite hard to get out of it. He was actually relieved when the planned third film was cancelled.
- Creator Backlash: He views Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) as the worst production experience of his entire career. He said the same about the sequel too.
- Dyeing for Your Art: He had to put on 30 lbs for Reacher, and has said that the diet and exercise regime is so specific that he'll start getting fat if he goes a few days without working out.
- Hunk: He often plays this archetype due to being very tall, square jawed and having a sculpted physique.
- Mr. Fanservice: With the exception of his role in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, pretty much every project he's been a part of has required him to show off his body in some amount.
- No Stunt Double: He insisted on doing as many of his own stunts as possible on Reacher.
- Older Than They Look: He turned 40 in 2022, but looks more like he's in his early 30s.
- So My Kids Can Watch: He did Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) because he'd just had a son, and wanted to be in something he could watch.
- Wag the Director: Aimes of Fast X was scripted to be "buttoned up" and constantly in suits. Alan felt he should look "more like a video game character" and fought to have the character's look changed.
- What Could Have Been:
- He was set to get his own Aquaman spin-off series, but the WB merged with UPN to form The CW at the time, and the new president didn't think he was believable as a leading man. They replaced him with Justin Hartley, but the series was ultimately not made.
- He was one of many actors who auditioned to play Thor, before the role was cast with Chris Hemsworth.
