Who Plays Paulie In Reacher Season 3

This post contains mild spoilers for the first three episodes of “Reacher” season three

“Reacher” set a streaming record for Prime Video when it debuted back in 2022, thereby ensuring its ongoing existence as one of the platform’s flagship shows. Since that first season, wherein Reacher took on a group of counterfeiters, the titular ex-military policeman has faced off against the T-1000 himself, Robert Patrick. Having defeated such a formidable foe, Reacher needed an even bigger challenge in season 3. While the first three episodes reveal that the real villain is Brian Tee’s Francis Xavier Quinn, there’s a much more imposing physical threat in this latest season: Olivier Richters’ gigantic henchman, Paulie.

Yes, the “Reacher” writers have put Alan Ritchson’s hulking hero up against an even larger bruiser in the form of Richters’ bodyguard. While there’s plenty of intrigue and mystery at the heart of “Reacher” season 3, many fans will surely be tuning in simply to see whether Reacher can defeat Bigger Reacher. There is sure to be an epic showdown when the two juggernauts eventually face off. Even though it’s shot like a premium drama, the secret to this show’s success has never been more complex than “big man hits people very hard,” and this season epitomizes that with the arrival of Paulie.

“Reacher” season 3 is based on the seventh book in author Lee Child’s popular series, titled “Persuader.” It’s in this novel that Paulie first appeared, which must have presented quite the challenge for the “Reacher” casting producers. How do you find someone more physically imposing than the 6 foot 2 inches, 235-pound beast that is Alan Ritchson? Well, they managed to do just that with Richters, who stands at an incredible 7 feet 2 inches and weighs 350 pounds. But the Dutch bodybuilder isn’t just known for his size. In fact, he’s carving out a nice little acting career for himself of late, making him a great fit for the Prime Video series. Here’s everything you need to know about the man who plays Paulie in “Reacher” season 3.

Jack Reacher’s whole thing is that he’s a giant of a man who barrels his way through entire hordes of enemies without even breaking a sweat. Star Alan Ritchson even ended up in hospital trying to achieve Reacher’s proper weight for the Prime Video series, which, while worrying, at least speaks to the man’s awareness of how crucial the character’s size is to the stories. As such, pitting Reacher against an even larger foe in the form of Paulie was an inspired move for “Reacher” season 3. The production team certainly did a fine job casting the role, too.

A bodyguard to Anthony Michael Hall’s Zachary Beck, the operator of rug import company Bizarre Bazaar, Paulie operates the front gate at Beck’s mansion. He has already come into conflict with Reacher several times in the first three episodes of the new season — most notably when Reacher tricks him into an arm wrestling session that results in the meathead slapping himself in the face.

Known as “The Dutch Giant,” Richters is the perfect fit for the role. The now 34-year-old initially gained notoriety for his bodybuilding prowess, which he attained after overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. As a youngster, Richters developed pectus excavatum, a condition that caused his rib cage to develop with an extreme inward curve, resulting in his heart becoming 20% smaller than it should be. He then underwent corrective surgery that involved breaking his ribs to allow them to regrow properly.

Following his ordeal, Richters was severely underweight and began weight training in 2007. He quickly gained muscle and started bodybuilding in 2013, eating between 6000 and 7000 calories a day in order to give his massive frame the fuel it needed to grow. In 2021, he was certified as the world’s “tallest professional bodybuilder” by Guinness World Records, and he’s been featured on the cover of the Netherlands’ edition of Men’s Health. But bodybuilding isn’t the only thing Richters is known for.

Aside from his bodybuilding career, Olivier Richters has begun what looks to be a promising acting career, featuring in movies, commercials, short films, TV series, and music videos. Though he had minor roles on TV series in the 1990s and early 2000s, Richters’ acting career didn’t start in earnest until 2018, when he appeared in a small role in yje horror comedy “Ravers.” After that, however, his career took off, with Richters landing the role of Ursa Major in “Black Widow.” Fittingly, Ursa had the power to transform into a giant bear in the comics (though unfortunately he doesn’t do this in the movie).

Richters then went on to play Huge Machinery Shack Guard in “The King’s Man,” a small by memorable role that saw him almost kill Ralph Fiennes’ Orlando Oxford before being beheaded by Djimon Hounsou’s Shola. His next role was that of Hauke in the safer, less exciting Indy film, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” This was Richter’s biggest part to date, and saw him playing a Neo-Nazi enforcer for Mads Mikkelsen’s Jürgen Voller. The bodybuilder told Men’s Health that he picked up tips from Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, and Harrison Ford on set. Unfortunately, Richters would then appear in the biggest box office bomb of 2024, “Borderlands,” wherein he played the bandit leader Krom. Writing on Instagram, the Hollander said Krom was “probably the most fearsome character I’ve been,” but the character’s backstory and “a very big endboss fight” were cut from the final film.

On television, Richters biggest role to date is Paulie in “Reacher,” but he did play the character of Duncan in an episode of “Gangs of London.” With his performance as Paulie, however, Richters has surely established a burgeoning TV career to compliment his big screen filmography.

During a 2019 interview on the UK’s “Good Morning Britain,” Richters’ revealed that he looked up to Richard Kiel, the 7-foot 2-inch actor who played Jaws in the James Bond movies “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977) and “Moonraker” (1979). “He was one of the reasons why I would love to get in the movie industry,” said Richters.

When he isn’t facing off against Alan Ritchson in “Reacher” or portraying hulking heavies on film, Olivie Richters actually has several other projects on the go. He has a YouTube channel, “The Dutch Giant,” with 315,000 subscribers, where he provides workout advice and takes on all manner of fitness and bodybuilding challenge. There’s also a video that charts his transformation from a 176-pound 19-year-old to the 352-pound juggernaut he is today.

Elsewhere he founded two companies. Tall Origin is a clothing brand for taller men which was founded by Richters and his partner Desiree Stuijt. Muscle Meat, meanwhile, was founded in March 2013 by Richters and his brother, Rein, as a nutrition brand for bodybuilders.

Now, Richters will become known for being one of Jack Reacher’s most challenging on-screen foes, with the pair set to face off at the end of “Reacher” season 3. The Dutch actor hyped this up in an interview with Empire, saying, “The effort they put into Reacher versus Paulie is astonishing. We might be a little bit immortal in the fight, because it continues for so long.”