Did you know why Tom Cruise stopped playing the role of Jack Reacher? Read on to know what author Lee Child revealed.

Tom Cruise’s run as Jack Reacher was officially over years ago, and no, it was not because of his usual action-packed stunts. It turns out that the actor just didn’t cut it physically! The truth behind his departure from the role came straight from Jack Reacher author Lee Child, who spilled the beans on why fans were just not having it. Spoiler: Cruise was too polished and too short for the part.

Fans of the Jack Reacher book series had one major gripe: Cruise didn’t match the description of their beloved, hulking hero. Reacher’s supposed to be a “big, ugly guy” – think a lock forward from a rugby team, but Cruise? Not so much. “Tom is not ugly, and he’s not big,” Child admitted during a 2018 interview, as per ABC News. And while he wasn’t personally bothered, he understood the fan outrage. We’re talking about a six-foot-five, 250-pound beast in the books versus Cruise’s 5’7” frame, clocking in at 148 pounds. Yeah, not quite the same.

After all the buzz and complaints, the final decision came down to reader feedback. “They’ve had enough of Tom Cruise, and that’s fair enough,” Child said. So, what now for Jack Reacher? Well, no more Cruise. Instead, Child decided to go full-on reboot mode, planning to take Reacher to the small screen with a TV series. It is a binge-watch-worthy series, to be exact. And here’s where it gets juicy: Child wanted a totally new actor. “We’re going to find a huge actor and an ugly actor,” he said at the time. Ugly? Well, in Reacher’s world, that’s the best compliment.

While Tom Cruise may have been a stretch for the fans, the films still did a solid job at the box office, pulling in $380 million worldwide. But even with that success, the books were calling for someone closer to the 6’5” powerhouse readers pictured – someone who could throw down with just as much power as his presence. It’s a common battle for book-to-movie adaptations, right?

Fans will let you know when you’ve messed up their headcanon. Just ask Ben Affleck about his Batman hate. For Lee Child, movies and books were always worlds apart. He explained, “My head is in the book so much that the movie can’t possibly have an influence on it.” But he gets it—when fans picture a character, they want that vision brought to life. And who can blame them?