Reacher Season 4 was just days from production shutting down entirely, with tens of millions of dollars on the line, when Chris Marquette got the call that changed everything.
In his first season on the Prime Video hit, Marquette stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Jay Baruchel, who exited the role of Jacob Merrick due to a personal matter, and had less than 48 hours to land the part before the show lost its window entirely.
Chris Marquette On The 15 Minutes That Decided Reacher’s Fate
The call came on a Friday night while Marquette was watching Gremlins with his six-year-old daughter during their weekly movie night. Baruchel’s exit had left Reacher’s production team scrambling to fill the role before Amazon lost its shooting window entirely, and Santora needed someone who could turn around a full audition tape almost immediately.
Speaking in an interview with Collider, Marquette said he initially had no idea what the emergency even was, assuming the worst when his agents and manager started blowing up his phone.
“I look down at my phone and see all these crazy phone calls from my agents and manager. And they’re like, ‘This is an urgent, urgent thing. Emergency.’ I was like, ‘If one of you guys are going to jail, we’re not that close.'”
He was told showrunner Nick Santora needed to speak with him within minutes, and that he would likely need to submit an audition tape shortly after, all while looking after his daughter.
“I had no idea what this role was. I had not auditioned for it. I hadn’t read anything. I didn’t know it existed.”
Marquette said Santora was direct about the stakes, telling him the production was at risk of losing tens of millions of dollars if the role wasn’t filled immediately.
“Nick said, ‘Hey man, Amazon’s going to probably offer this out to some people. I’m convinced you’re the guy, and I think this is all kind of some fate. Can you give me a tape in 15 minutes?’ I was like, ‘Nick, I’m in my pajamas, dude. I’m in my boxer shorts.’ He was like, ‘Please.’ And I was like, ‘Of course, of course, man. I’ll sell a kidney.'”
Marquette submitted a self-tape for a six-page dramatic scene between Reacher and Jacob, one that plays out in the show’s first episode. He got the job the following Saturday, and by Monday morning, he was on set in downtown Toronto with four city blocks shut down for production.
Reacher Season 4 is now streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes releasing weekly through September 16.
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