Casting for Captain America

[Ignore Me!]

So I was reading an article about the Captain America movie. I don't even remember where I saw the story.

Seems the author was disturbed by the fact all the actors considered for the part were white. He went on to say the studio shouldn't cater to the fan boys and should also look at black and hispanic actors as well to reflect the changing demographic of the American populace.

Am I wrong to be more than a little angry over this. Can nothing stay true to the source material these days?

[humanbelly]

Not to be too blunt, but this just strikes me as chip-on-the-shoulder blather on the part of that writer. Obviously, the prevailing demographics of the time period (World War II) are the determining factor, for better or worse. Would they cast a woman or minority in the role of President during that period? Of course not.
And it makes the already-unpalatable origin (the willingness of the military to perform dangerous biological experiments on failed recruits) even creepier if those experiments were being performed on black or hispanics-- lending an air of expendability to their well-being. Granted, it's generally accepted that the military did exactly that during WWII-- but in this case it would just add an unnecessarily ugly element to the origin story. That writer has created a scenario where he can be outraged no matter who is cast as Cap.

But, y'know-- my son & I are still having a tough time coming up with an A or even B-lister that really nails it. Tallish, athletic, all-american good looks, and under 30 years old (that's kind of the catch). Ultimately, though, it requires a presence and and sense of self-confidence that just pours right into the camera. I mean-- someone like a young Kirk Douglas, say.

HB

[Ignore Me!]

All good points sir. Though if you remember the Captain America TV show, the actor looked the part... not the greatest actor.

[kidcage]

Yeah, I'd say the writer of the article would probably have a chip on their shoulder if they were making a statement of that nature. I'm just interested to see who they are going to possibly get to play the part, since there are so many factors to the part.

[goldenfist]

Here's a link to see the actor who just got cast as Captain Americ
a.

www.newsarama.com/comics/Evans-Captain-America-100322.html

[kidcage]

Hmmm... you know, my knee jerk reaction is to say "aw man...", but at the same time, if he's able to play it serious (which I think he very much could), this could be a diamond in the rough casting choice to play Cap.

[Ignore Me!]

Wow...didn't see that coming. I haven't seen him in anything besides FF so I have no idea what his range is.

[spiderwasp]

I hate casting the same actor as a second Marvel hero. It' hard for me to believe that out of the thousands of talented actors in America, Chris Evans is the only one suitable to be both the Human Torch and Captain America. Physically, I don't even think he really fits either one. I like him fine as an actor but he's not really great enough for all this.

[humanbelly]

Well-- Chris Evans did cross my mind awhile back as being vaguely the right type. All-American guy looks, right age, he's EXTREMELY buff (apparently there's a conscious effort to always show him sans shirt in every movie he's in)-- but I don't know. Saw him in both FF films and saw him in that small indy sci-fi film "Push" a year or so ago, and don't have any sense at all of his range stretching beyond some incarnation of a Totally Slacker Dood type. He certainly doesn't project a sense of gravity or of having a deep well of soul to draw strength from. (Of course, I think Christian Bale's Batman is seriously lacking there, as well. Also the nice fellow that played Rhodey in Iron Man I.)That unquestionable, unshakable, un-self-aware charismatic power that is the absolute cornerstone of Cap's appeal--- not there. Of course, that's a pretty tall order to ask of any actor. The guy from Avatar-? Well, maybe-- he really did a pretty good job w/ his rallying-the-people speeches near the end.

Man, but who else? It has to be an actor who would relish the St. Crispin's Day speech, and at the same time be a completely legitimate and credible action hero. And, apparently, an American. . .

HB

[humanbelly]

Oops, and an additional, possibly shallow, thought:

I don't think Chris Evans is going to look good at all in Cap's cowl/mask. It seems like a silly consideration, but-- he has narrow, sharp features, and close-set eyes. It will be very difficult to put that piece on him and not have him look either cross-eyed or bird-like or (likely) both.

HB

[sharkar]

Mar 23, 2010 17:51:51 GMT -5 spiderwasp said:

It' hard for me to believe that out of the thousands of talented actors in America, Chris Evans is the only one suitable to be both the Human Torch and Captain America.

It does seem strange to use the same actor; what's next, cameos with Jessica Alba as Peggy Carter in a flashback and Michael Chiklis as the Hulk? And I guess Evans doing double duty means a casting adjustment (or some digital trickery) if they ever decide to film the events in Fantastic Four #26 v. 1 (Avengers vs. FF).

Mar 23, 2010 18:40:50 GMT -5 humanbelly said:

Oops, and an additional, possibly shallow, thought:

I don't think Chris Evans is going to look good at all in Cap's cowl/mask. It seems like a silly consideration, but-- he has narrow, sharp features, and close-set eyes. It will be very difficult to put that piece on him and not have him look either cross-eyed or bird-like or (likely) both.

And he doesn't have the strong, square jaw that would seem to be a must for anyone playing Cap. It reminds me of Clooney playing Batman; Clooney's sexy and great-looking, but his long chin did not invoke that classic Batman look (IMHO). For Cap, you'd need someone along the lines of a young Robert Redford, who had the perfectly angled square jaw--plus the gravitas-- to play Cap.

[kidcage]

You know who I always thought would play a good Cap was Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens, recently Grindhouse). Reason I say is he has played a "man out of time soldier" before with Terminator, and he always seemed credible. While not a HUGE name, he would be more than adequate in both the acting and action department to fill the role.

Sadly however, it'd be hard to pull him off as a twenty year old NOW.