Alan Ritchson, the star of Reacher, has responded to “supposed Christians” who’ve criticized him for playing a character who isn’t “saintly.”
Reacher is undoubtedly the hero of his stories – but there’s more to the character than black or white, and that “moral ambiguity” attracted backlash from some Christians online.
Alan Ritchson responds to Reacher criticism from Christians
In anew video, he explained: “I love playing Reacher. I love telling this story. I love playing a character who creates a kind of moral ambiguity that we should struggle against as we consider whether or not what he’s doing is good all the time or morally right.
“But it’s funny to me how a lot of people criticize me, supposed Christians especially, criticize me for playing Reacher. As if the only TV that should exist is seeing people silently folding their hands in the pew of a church. I mean, what kind of stories are we supposed to tell?”
In Ritchson’s eyes, stories with complex characters that challenge the established understanding of right and wrong are representative of the Bible – so the criticism doesn’t make much sense.
“We see miracles and magic. We see life and resurrection and death, and we see this incredible canvas where God is completely unafraid to tell the story of who He is through less than morally ambiguous characters, through pure evil sometimes.”
Just like other Christian-centered movies and TV shows, like the Left Behind series and The Chosen, Ritchson believes Reacher and other stories “can start conversations and we can reach people through these mediums in a way that I think God enjoys.”
Cameron Frew is Deputy TV & Movies Editor on Dexerto’s UK team. He’s an action movie aficionado, ’80s obsessive, and Oscars enthusiast. He loves Invincible, but he’s also a fan of The Boys, the MCU, The Chosen, and much more. He has previously written for LadBible, UniLad, and Flickering Myth. You can contact him at: cameron.frew@dexerto.com.
