Chris Evans, who plays Steve Rogers/Captain America in Marvel’s Avengers franchise, remains irreplaceable for his fans, but the 41-year-old actor surely believes in a more credible actor, and it’s none other than his childhood buddy, Jeremy Strong. During a previous interview, Evans revealed that he was surprised after he learned that the Emmy-winning actor turned down Steve Rogers’ role in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.
Chris Evans Knew There Was No Plan B For Jeremy Strong
Chris Evans has always been personal about playing Captain America’s role as a part of the Avengers family. Even though Evans, time and again, spoke about how deeply he loved this role that got him wide recognition, he did imagine his childhood friend, Jeremy Strong in this role. Well, he was a bit of a Jeremy Strong fan back in high school, when the two acted together.
Chris Evans, who joined the MCU in the iconic role in 2011, revealed that he had no idea that the Succession star was offered the role of Steve Rogers, but he turned it down. But the reason for the same was truly saddening. His childhood friend, Strong, narrated his struggle story and offered a reason for turning down the “small role”. Strong said in an interview:
“They told me there was a top-secret film about Captain America. They needed someone to play Captain America’s young body before he turns into a superhero. They said they needed a transformational actor and would use CGI to put the actual actor’s face and voice over my own.”
“I was broke. I needed money. I considered it. But that’s my story of LA. It was just never going to happen for me here. It didn’t feel like what I had to offer was valued. And the next day I went back to New York and did a play about a veteran from Afghanistan in a wheelchair during the blackout of 2003.”
Strong was referring to Captain America’s body double before he turned into a superhero. Marvel needed a transformational actor to play a younger Steve Rogers, but after he turned down the role, the VFX team put Evans’ face on the body of a much scrawnier actor. On this, Evans later revealed that he was glad things worked out because there was never a Plan B for Jeremy.
Jeremy Strong Found Success Despite Marvel’s Role
Jeremy Strong may be broke then, but that’s an old tale because The Big Short actor barely regrets a thing in life. The 4-year-old star went on to achieve massive success, starring as Kendall Roy in HBO’s hit series, Succession (2018–present).
Coming out of a “rough neighborhood” in Jamaica Plain, Strong has truly left a mark in Hollywood, and there’s still a long road to travel ahead. Last year, Time magazine named Strong among the “100 most influential people in the world”. He is credited for movies like The Big Short, Molly’s Game, and Armageddon Time.
As for his childhood pal, Chris Evans previously told a publication that Strong’s career path was “proof of how random success in the entertainment industry could be”. For Evans, Strong was sort of a “celebrity back in high school.” But again, critics often questioned Strong about his life after he’s done playing Kendal Roy, a role that made his career.
When asked once, if this would be the high point of his career, he replied, “It will feel like a death, in a way,” referring to his role. Well, nothing can break Strong and he is already gearing up to make take the next step in his career. The man, who spent years in a studio apartment with one chair, one set of forks, a knife, and a pile of scripts, now has all the luxuries. That’s the kind of friend one needs!
Source: Variety
