In 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, Chris Evans transformed from a scrawny soldier into a superpowered supersoldier. However, Evans had no idea that another actor, and friend, was first offered the chance to play the scrawny body of Steve Rogers.
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In the film, Evans’ head was placed on top of the body of a much smaller actor, making him appear weaker prior to his transformation. According to actor Jeremy Strong, he was originally given the chance to play the part of Steve Rogers’ tiny body, and he nearly took the role due to how “broke” he was.
“They told me there was a top-secret film about Captain America,” Strong said in an interview with The Times UK. “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.”
As it turns out, Evans — who actually grew up with Strong in Sudbury, Massachusettes — had no idea that his friend was offered the role, and said that a story like this is just proof of how “unpredictable” the industry is.
“Oh no!” Evans said. “It just goes to show the industry is so unpredictable. But I’m so happy things worked out, because I don’t think there was ever plan B for Jeremy.”
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Thankfully for Strong, he would go on to find his own success outside of playing random bodies, as his role as Kendall Roy on HBO’s Succession has earned him massive praise, as well as a Primetime Emmy Award in 2020 and a Golden Globe Award in 2022.