Reacher: When author Lee Child sounded more like his own character than he realized

Reacher gave us a character who feels like a mystery. He's almost like a myth. You watch the show and think if anyone like that could even exist in real life. But somehow he also feels completely realistic at the same time. You can almost believe there’s a man out there walking from town to town, fixing things and leaving before anyone can thank him. And you wonder how is that possible? Perhaps that’s what creative genius is for. It's to make something unbelievable feel believable.

When you look at it closely, the fictional character and Lee Child share more than a name on a book cover. Reacher is famous for being minimalistic. He does not have a phone, an address, or any attachments. Child isn’t quite that extreme but his attitude toward life sounds surprisingly similar. He said in a Guardian interview that he’s happy with what he has and doesn’t need more. That’s something the drifter hero would definitely agree with. If someone offered him a mansion and a million dollars, he’d probably shrug and walk away.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinions. Readers' discretion is advised.

Reacher and Lee Child: Two sides of the same coin?

If you’ve read the novel or watched the show, you know the man’s built like he could punch through a wall if he really needed to. But what you may not know is how much his creator, Lee Child, seems to sound like him in real life. In a Guardian interview, Child said things that could have come straight out of his fictional book. It’s as if the writer and his creation are reflections of each other.

When asked if he wanted more s*x, money, or fame, Child replied:

“More s*x is medically implausible, I have plenty of money, and I’m as famous as I need to be.”

You can hear Reacher saying that. It’s brutally honest and a little dry. He also sounds pretty content just like Reacher is. He also said:

“I’m not afraid of things. Things are afraid of me.”

That line could have easily been in the Prime Video show as a one-liner right before a fight scene.

It's the confidence that makes them somewhat similar, if at all they are. When Lee Child says he isn’t afraid of things, you can tell he means it. That’s the same energy that pushes Reacher through every situation. Even when he’s outnumbered or outgunned, which he usually is. Fear just doesn’t fit into his worldview. But this isn’t to be mistaken for arrogance. He’s as humble as they come.

Author of Reacher, Lee Child, probably managed to keep writing him for so long because he gets it. He gets the character he created.

But of course, there are differences. Child admits he loves art and even owns a Renoir painting. That's something the drifter hero would never bother with. He walks through life with a toothbrush in his pocket. Child enjoys the comfort he’s earned. Yet they both don’t chase anything.

The secret to why Reacher feels so real and unreal at the same time after all these years could just be that he is his creator's own instincts and values. Probably turned up to the maximum intensity.

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