Prime Video’s hugely popular “Reacher” — which broke a ratings record with its third season — is a big part of why the show has been so successful, with fans finally getting an on-screen version of the titular hero who fully represents the character from Lee Child’s equally popular book series. But it took Ritchson some time to find the role that would make him a major star.
The actor took the long road to landing what has proved to be his breakthrough role. In fact, he’s been toiling away on both the big and small screens since the early 2000s, beginning with his role as Arthur Curry/Aquaman on “Smallville” back in 2006 — though his real TV debut came a few years prior when he auditioned for “American Idol,” but the less said about that the better. After “Smallville,” Ritchson continued to work consistently. Some of his more notable roles include Gloss in the “Hunger Games” films and Hank Hall/Hawk in DC’s “Titans.” Ritchson starred in an overlooked MMA movie, which was recently made available on Prime Video, he played Raphael in 2014’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and its sequel, 2016’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” and he starred as Thad Castle in Spike TV’s sitcom “Blue Mountain State.”
All of these projects were successful in their own ways, though none of them propelled Ritchson to “Reacher”-level fame. But prior to becoming the major star he is today, the actor also appeared in an array of lesser-known projects, including a sci-fi series that deserved to be more well-known than it ultimately was.
