The actor has revealed he went for the role of Lee Child’s hulking detective, which Cruise ultimately won despite lacking the size of the original character

It is a casting decision that has long puzzled fans and critics: how did Tom Cruise, who is said to be 5ft 7in (1.70 metres), come to appear as the 6ft 5in (1.95 metre) Jack Reacher in the film adaptations of Lee Child’s crime novels?

Now comes news that a rather more proportionally suitable star was in contention to play the hulking private investigator, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealing that he was turned down for the part.

Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) Yup, luv the character. Bout 10yrs ago I went after the role, but Cruise got it. Was great motivation for me to always stay hungry. https://t.co/bwpZfEVIMm

The WWE wrestler-turned-action-star, who stands at 6ft 4in, divulged the detail on Twitter, in response to a fan declaring that he would be perfect for the role.

“Yup, luv the character. Bout 10yrs ago I went after the role, but Cruise got it. Was great motivation for me to always stay hungry,” he wrote.

Cruise starred as Reacher in two films: 2012’s Jack Reacher, and 2016 follow-up Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. The actor’s casting as the private investigator and drifter was criticised by fans of Child’s original novels, who felt that the actor was too diminutive for the part.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Giving 100% … Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Photograph: Allstar/Paramount

At the time Child defended the casting, suggesting that there were “no 6ft 5in giants out there” to play the role. “With another actor you might get 100% of the height but only 90% of Reacher. With Tom, you’ll get 100% of Reacher with 90% of the height,” he told the Wall Street Journal.

Johnson’s film career doesn’t seem to have been adversely affected by not playing Reacher. In 2016, he became the world’s highest paid actor, earning $64.5m (£51.6m) and supplanting the previous No 1, Robert Downey Jr.

Johnson’s latest film, Fast and Furious 8, is released in cinemas this week and has been projected to earn more than $380m at the box office by industry experts. Next up for Cruise, meanwhile, is a reboot of horror-adventure film The Mummy, which is due in cinemas in June.