Reader’s Digest Australia & New Zealand – May 2019

READER’S DIGEST

May• 2019 | 99

I writeiscompletelydisorganised.
Everythingfeelslikea high-wireact.
Somehowmagically,it alwayscomes
outallright.It’sa drug.”
Butsuccesshasadownside,he
sayswryly.“Ifyouarenumberone
foroneweekthenyouwanttobe
numberonefortwoweeks.It’sa nev-
er-endingtreadmillofself-torture.”
Bethatasitmay,theformulais
clearlyworking,withtwoJackReacher
moviesbasedonthenovelsreleased
in 2012 and2016.ChilddidanAlfred
Hitchcock-stylecameoineach,which
controversiallystarredTomCruise–
whosereportedheightisa mere1.7
metres.Fansfamouslydeemedthey
wanteda Jackwithmore‘reach’.
“Heisa charminggentleman,”says
Childintheactor’sdefence.“None
ofwhatyouhearaboutCruiseinthe
mediaistrue.Heisa thoroughlynice
guy.Averyhardworker.”
Explaininghisrecentdecisionto
vetomoremovies,Childexplains,
“Ultimatelythereadersfelthewasnot
anaccuraterepresentationofReacher
andthereadersarethemostimpor-
tantpeopletome.”
So,CruiseisoutandChildison
thelookoutforanunknownactorto
fillReacher’sverylargeshoes– and
hands,whichhefamouslydescribes
as“likefrozensupermarketchick-
ens”.Onthehorizonisa binge-watch-
ingNetflix-styleTVserieswithlong
seasonsbasedoneachReachernovel.
JackReacherisoneofthemostpop-
ular characters in modern fiction. “He

isa mysteriousstranger,”saysChild

ofhisbelovedcharacter.“Thenoble

onewhoshowsupinthenickoftime,

solvestheproblemandridesoffinto

thesunset.He’sthemodernversionof

RobinHoodorSirLancelot.”

“He[Reacher]lovessolitudebut

worriesaboutbeinglonely.I would

lovehimtofindhappinessbutifhe

settleddown,boughtalittlehouse

somewhereand got a littledog,

thatwouldbetheendoftheseries,

wouldn’tit?”

Devoted‘ReacherCreature’fans

areultimatelytheoneswhokeep

the series on top of bestseller lists

Fansdemandeda talleractorthan

Tom Cruise to play Jack Reacher