Dwayne Johnson talks losing Jack Reacher role to Tom Cruise

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Dwayne Johnson is arguably one of the most bankable and hardest working actors in Hollywood today. His name above the title is usually box office gold and it seems like he's never not working with only a global pandemic currently slowing down his workflow. Even performers as successful as Johnson have had roles that got away from him and he recently revealed there was one high-profile role that he missed out on that eventually want to Tom Cruise.

Johnson took to Instagram recently to answer fan's questions and ended up talking about the part that got away. That part was the title role in the feature adaptation of Lee Child's series of novels about a blue-collar action hero, JACK REACHER. Cruise went on to play the role in two films including JACK REACHER & JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK. Johnson had this to say about not getting the role:

"Great question regarding my career in film. Was there a movie role I really wanted, but lost to another actor? Yup. The role was Jack Reacher. The actor was Tom Cruise. Business is business and I'm happy he got it. Universe works in funny ways though, as when that door shut on me, another door opened with the opportunity to create a character from scratch that was of my DNA. The one and only bad ass, shit talkin', gravity and reality defying, always winkin' and having fun OUTLAW LAWMAN KNOWN AS LUKE HOBBS. Let the good times roll Thanks for all your great questions and enjoy your holiday weekend. Most importantly, stay healthy my friends."

Paramount Pictures got some flack when Tom Cruise was cast in the first JACK REACHER film because the actor bears little resemblance to how the character is described in the source material. Tom Cruise may be one of our most respected action stars working today, especially considering his dedication to realism regarding his stunts but Cruise definitely doesn't fit the stature of how that character was described in the book. Johnson went on to say it was disappointing because there aren't a lot of characters described to look like him but he thought JACK REACHER was an exception:

"In Hollywood, actors are kind of like in-a-box. 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 b***h that they've been created and designed for me – except Jack Reacher."

Despite Johnson's disappointment, he understands why he missed out on the role and there are no hard feelings about being passed up:

"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."

2012's JACK REACHER was reasonably successful when it was released, grossing $218.3 million worldwide on a $60 million budget ($80 million of that came from the States). JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK, released in 2016, was less successful with a gross of $162.1 million worldwide on a $60 million budget. That film didn't fare as well domestically either, grossing $58.6 million by the end of its run. Perhaps if Paramount chooses to reboot JACK REACHER they'll look Dwayne Johnson's way this time around, although I doubt he's hurting for jobs.

Do YOU think Dwayne Johnson would've been a better choice? Was Tom Cruise miscast?