Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are probably the two most fan-favorite Marvel stars. Despite their character’s problematic relationship on-screen, the two actors are pretty good friends in real life. So much so that it took a phone call from Downey to convince Evans to portray Captain America after he had already rejected the role twice.
Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards’ newest book, MCU: The Reign Of Marvel, revealed the details of how Evans was cast. Although the news isn’t pretty new and has been talked about later, the details of Evans rejecting such a role were still sensational.
Robert Downey Jr. Had To Convince Chris Evans To Play Captain America
Casting Captain America was not an easy job. Multiple actors even made it to the list of finalists but nothing seemed to fit right. Even after getting multiple A-listers and even lesser-known but exceptional actors, nobody seemed to fit right into the mold.
While certain actors were cast for future Marvel roles like Sebastian Stan for Winter Soldier, others were dropped off. But there was one actor that the studio wanted to hire without an audition. And that was Chris Evans who had twice rejected the role because he was afraid to commit what would take up more than a decade of his life.
And so Robert Downey Jr., already Iron Man, was roped in to call and encourage his future co-star. He ultimately managed to convince Evans, stating that Captain America would only open up new doors for him as an actor rather than constrain him.
While Evans did an exemplary job at being Captain America, here are 6 other actors who could have been America’s Sentinel of Liberty.
6. John Krasinski
A pretty controversial casting for how could Jim from The Office be America’s Finest hero? While John Krasinski did make it to the list of finalists and was eventually dropped, the actor finally became a part of the Marvel family when he appeared as Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
5. Sebastian Stan
The fan-favorite Sebastian Stan is best known for being Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier. Nobody could even imagine anyone else as Barnes or even Stan as Captain America now, but that was the case as the actor initially auditioned for Evan’s part but instead landed the role of his best mate.
4. Chris Pratt
To think that the perfect actor for Star-Lord could have been Captain America seems impossible but so it was. Chris Pratt, known for auditioning for dozens of Marvel roles, eventually landed his charismatic role thanks to his audition for Captain.
3. Wyatt Russell
The knock-off Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell had initially auditioned for the role of Captain America before Chris Evans was even cast. Fortunately for Marvel and Russell, things worked out perfectly fine for the studios found their perfect John Walker and he earned widespread praise for his portrayal of Cap 2.0.
2. Alexander Skarsgard
Known best for portraying Tarzan in The Legend of Tarzan, Alexander Skarsgard was eventually in line for two popular Marvel roles, Captain America and Thor. While the actor landed none of these roles, fans hope he might get a chance in the MCU for he sure has the looks of a superhero.
1. Chace Crawford
Before his feat in The Boys, the actor had auditioned for the role of the First Avenger. However, that never took off for Chace Crawford was already committed to his hit television series, Gossip Girl.
