Lee Child has admitted that fans of Jack Reacher were “right” to be disappointed with Tom Cruise’s casting in the 2012 and 2016 film adaptations, explaining why the gigantic Alan Ritchson is the true embodiment of the character. Before Prime Video’s hit Reacher series, Cruise played the ex-military drifter in Jack Reacher and its sequel Never Go Back. But despite Cruise’s box office appeal, book readers were vocal about their disapproval — mainly because Cruise is shorter than average, whereas Reacher is essentially The Hulk but without gamma ray exposure.

In Child’s books, Reacher is described as “extremely tall” at 6ft 5in, “extremely broad, long-armed and long-legged.” At 5ft 7in, Cruise didn’t quite fit the bill. Speaking to The Independent, Child reflected on the backlash and admitted, “The readers, ultimately, were right.”

Despite the criticism, Child maintains that Cruise delivered a solid performance in other aspects.

“I thought the first movie in particular was excellent. It was a really crisp, hard-edged thriller. Working with Tom was a pleasure and a privilege—he’s a really smart guy, he’s a smart filmmaker, he’s real fun. But you cannot escape the fact that Reacher is a huge guy.”

He added, “That is a component in his entire approach to the world and the world’s approach to him. He’s huge, he’s implacable, he’s scary. And for all Tom’s ability in getting the internals of Reacher out, he is not huge and he’s not scary.”

While the author appreciated Cruise’s commitment, he ultimately sided with his readers. “The readers were terribly upset about it and I think, ultimately, the readers were right.”

Alan Ritchson Is the Perfect Jack Reacher

When Prime Video rebooted Reacher as a television series, fans finally got the adaptation they wanted. Alan Ritchson—standing at 6ft 2in and built like a tank—quickly won over audiences, delivering a portrayal that feels ripped straight from the books.

“Alan was born to play Reacher and I think he knows that.”

Season 3, based on Persuader, introduces Reacher to one of his toughest opponents yet in the very large shape of Paulie, a villain who is even bigger than him. Finding an actor of that size was a major challenge, but the show eventually cast Olivier Richters, a 7ft 1in Dutch bodybuilder who dwarfs Ritchson.

“That’s the perfect illustration of how easy it is for me and how hard it is for them because all I have to do is type different words—it costs me nothing,” Child joked. “Whereas to put that into physical reality on the screen, they’ve got to find that actor.”

“It was literally an international search. There are very few actors even Alan’s size, so to get somebody who is noticeably bigger was incredibly difficult. But they found the guy. He is huge! And very scary.”

Reacher is streaming now on Prime Video. Cruise’s Jack Reacher movies are streaming on Paramount+.