Who is Olivier Richters, cast as Paulie in 'Reacher 3'
What's the story
The third season of Amazon Prime Video's hit show Reacher has cast Olivier Richters as the pivotal character Paulie.
Richters, a Dutch bodybuilder and actor known for his towering height of seven feet and two inches, will be playing a character even larger than Jack Reacher, portrayed by Alan Ritchson.
The upcoming season is set to adapt Lee Child's 2003 novel Persuader.
Character background
Richters's character Paulie is a bodybuilder-turned-bodyguard
In Persuader, Paulie is shown as a bodybuilder who serves as one of Zachary Beck's (Anthony Michael Hall) bodyguards. Beck beefs up his security after an attempted kidnapping of his son.
Child describes Paulie as a "deranged bodybuilder bodyguard" who is much bigger than Reacher himself.
The author writes, "This guy was at least six inches taller than me and probably 10 inches wider across the shoulders."
In the recently released trailer, Reacher describes Paulie as "twice his size"!
Acting career
Richters's previous roles in Hollywood
Before joining the Reacher cast, Richters put his impressive physique to use in various roles.
He has played minor antagonists in movies like Ravers and Knuckledust.
His notable appearances include Ursa Major in Marvel's Black Widow, Huge Machine Shack Guard in Matthew Vaughn's The King's Man, and Hauke in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Paulie could be his biggest role yet.
Season anticipation
Paulie's size will be a key factor in 'Reacher' S03
The height difference between Richters and Ritchson is likely to be a key factor in the next season of Reacher.
After an intense Season 2 ending, the show will have to raise the stakes with its next standalone story.
The plot from Persuader indicates that Jack may have finally met his match in Paulie, a character he cannot physically dominate.
This character-driven conflict could very well take center stage in the new season.