“They were so bad to us.” The star of Reacher regrets his participation in this cult saga

For many actors, joining an iconic series is a chance to fight for fame. However, when the films they star in fail to meet fans' expectations or are not what was promised, they can only cause considerable disappointment.

This is exactly what Alan Ritchson faced. He was disappointed that not only that promises were not kept, but also that he worked hard on a film that has no real value for his career because no one knows he was in it.

Initially, Ritchson wasn’t convinced about participating in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies because, as he told Collider, he received a low offer and was afraid that if no one saw his face, he would not benefit from participating in the series.

Alan Ritchson as Raphael | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jonathan Liebesman, Paramount Pictures, 2014

However, the producers managed to convince him to participate, using Andy Serkis and his role in The Lord of the Rings as an example, where the actor also played a fully motion-captured character and still gained publicity. Unfortunately, once Ritchson had been persuaded and work on the film had begun, the promises were reportedly broken.

The actor spent long hours on set, but reportedly couldn’t count on overtime pay. As Ritchson argued, it was really hard, and he recalls the day when, after a long day of shooting, he and the other actors couldn’t even count on transportation home organized by the production as the moment when something snapped in him.

For Alan Ritchson, filming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was no walk in the park. The actor feels disappointed with his experience on set and how many promises were broken after he had been persuaded to take the role. He even stated that he “hated” that period of his life and called it “the worst production experience he ever had.”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series starring Alan Ritchson ended in 2016 after two films that were poorly received by audiences and critics alike. After that, Alan Ritchson finally found the role that made him famous, Jack Reacher in the Prime Video TV series.

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