Hollywood is riddled with anecdotes of actors who came perilously close to getting roles that could have profoundly changed their careers. And according to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, he was on the verge of being cast as Jack Reacher in the film franchise of the same name.
During a Q&A session on Instagram, Johnson stated that he thought his physical traits were ideal for the character written by author Lee Child, which gave him, confidence about landing the role, but fell short to actor Tom Cruise.
Dwayne Johnson Explains Losing Jack Reacher Role
It might seem obvious to cast Dwayne Johnson as Jack Reacher now, but it’s important to remember where he was in his career at the time. Johnson had been hailed as a new action star in films like The Scorpion King or Doom. Although there was no doubt about his potential, he still hadn’t landed his big-break role.
And thus, despite being an almost perfect physical fit, ultimately that role went to Tom Cruise.
“In Hollywood, actors are kind of like in-a-box,” said Johnson. “There are actors that can vie for a particular role because it allows for them to have a certain look, skin color, size, etc. Fortunately, for me, there aren’t a lot of guys at all who look like me. So, all of my roles, from the beginning of my career, I’ve been a lucky son of a bitch that they’ve been created and designed for me — except ‘Jack Reacher.’”
He continued,
“Now, this was ten years ago, and I was in a much different place, I recognize that. Tom was the biggest movie star in the world, and I was not…I got the call saying ‘Hey, you didn’t get the role.’ Look, I didn’t even know if I had a shot for it, but the people around me at that time made me think that I did. I felt like I did, I felt like ‘Why not me?’”
Tom Cruise played the character in two films 2012’s Jack Reacher and its 2016 sequel Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.
Why Dwayne Johnson Was Rejected?
Despite being close to ideal for the lead part in 2012’s Jack Reacher, Dwayne Johnson was rejected. Although he was an ideal fit for Reacher, the studio apparently believed that he lacked the star power necessary to start a potential new series. Johnson admitted that while he was dissatisfied at the time, he is now glad Cruise got the part and that it was a learning experience in certain ways.
“I’m positive that the role of Jack Reacher, because it was an established character, an IP that was well known and beloved around the world, that I wouldn’t have had the creative space to do what I wanted with the character,” he said. “I look back in gratitude that I didn’t get Jack Reacher,” he added.
Given how Jack Reacher ultimately turned out, it was definitely for the best and worked out for all involved.
