When you think of Chris Evans, you think of the good Captain America, straight-laced, honest in nature and pure in heart.
You don’t usually picture Evans as a sociopathic killer gleefully torturing an old man until he cries in pain. But when you’ve spent seven movies portraying the most worthy man in the galaxy, you need to stretch those creative muscles.
Like, for example, playing the villain The gray manan action blockbuster in which the amoral black hat is relentlessly chasing Ryan Gosling’s more nuanced black ops spy.
Evans knows the world sees him as a Marvel superhero. “He sees me through the lens of Captain America,” he told news.com.au. “It’s definitely the biggest role I’ve played, it’s probably reached the biggest audience.”
Lloyd Hansen, the sociopathic killer in question, is not Captain America. “[He’s] probably as far as you can go [get from Captain America]Evans explains.
But just because he’s a villain, doesn’t mean Lloyd doesn’t have anything redeeming about him, in a twisted, indirect way.
“Lloyd has some admirable qualities,” Evans offered with a mischievous grin. “I mean, he’s not the best of men, but he certainly doesn’t care what other people think.
“There’s no denying that we’re living in a world right now that cares more and more about what other people think. I’d say the goal of life is to try to care less and less about what other people think about you .
“I think this is the way to a happy life, to recognize that the affirmation of another person is not necessary to be happy.
“Now, Lloyd is a pretty bad example of virtue and nobility, but you can’t deny the fact that he’s unapologetically himself.”
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, The gray man reunites Evans with the filmmakers. The trio collaborated on four Marvel films together.
Anthony Russo said the choice to cast Evans against type was a no-brainer and all three reveled in the dynamic that would be created between the audience and the character.
“We got to know Chris very well [working on the Marvel movies] creatively and personally,” Anthony Russo told news.com.au. “We really knew what he was capable of as an actor. He’s very talented technically, he’s very intelligent and he likes to challenge himself.
“I think it tickled all three of us, this idea of trying to create a character so opposite to Captain America.”
Joe Russo added that Evans “looks nothing like Captain America, and I don’t mean that in a bad way.”
“Chris is very energetic, he is very funny, he is charismatic and Cap is very discreet. We thought it would be interesting to take advantage of this energy he has and give him a very charismatic and eccentric character to play.”
Lloyd’s eccentricities were shown not only in his actions and energy, but very much in his distinctive appearance.
when The gray man‘s first trailer was released, what caught the most attention was not the explosive stunts but the hair fuzz over Evans’ lip. He was quite the mustache and given that Gosling also sported some facial hair, the film was setting up for a cat and mouse game between two ruthlessly efficient killers.
Anthony Russo said that the team let the actors choose the look of their characters and that Evans had clear ideas about Lloyd’s “offensive, loud and aggressive” aesthetic.
The mustache helped define Evans’ character. He explained: “The moustaches, the hair and the clothes, all of it. I think he is a very demanding man, he has a very specific approach to the world he lives in, the way he moves through the world, the way he chooses to present himself.
“He has very strong convictions and the haircut, the moustache, all this against social norms, against trends. And in that he is pleased.”
The gray man it’s popcorn. It’s a booming, bombastic thriller with entertainment at the heart of its purpose. While there are some smaller character moments thrown in between big action games, it’s mostly fights, punches and explosions.
But there’s a lot of joy to be had in watching two top-notch actors go at each other. Not to mention the stars The gray man it was disputed for secondary roles, like Ana de Armas, Rege-Jean Page, Jessica Henwick, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard and Wagner Moura.
For weapons (Knives out, There is no time to die), he felt he still had the time and space to give his character, a CIA agent thrust into an impossible scenario, distinct qualities.
“I felt like I could find a human side to him all of a sudden in that situation,” she said. “We were looking for someone strong, very intelligent and ready for anything.
“I had the space to grow the character a little bit more as a person, more than an agent.”
This investment in character, however small, could pay off. Not everyone will survive the runtime – there are too many flying bullets for a body count, but those who do can respawn.
While nothing has been confirmed, the words “franchise potential” have already been floated in press reports. It would be in line with Russo’s previous work, having been so embedded within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also with his earlier forays into television, directing many episodes of community i Arrested development.
Joe Russo confirmed the possibilities of serialized storytelling of The gray man it’s definitely in the cards.
“Certainly The gray man it was conceived by us as a narrative universe. Hopefully, if this movie works, we can explore that universe,” he said.
“We tried to fill this universe with a lot of compelling characters played by amazing actors. We have such a wonderful cast in this film and there are so many possibilities for where we could take the story.
“Our brains tend to work that way. We were movie fans before we were filmmakers, and part of the experience of being a movie fan is that you like to live with your favorite material. You spend a lot of time thinking about it, picking it apart and pushing it to new places in your imagination.
“We try to bring that process to our storytelling as well.”
The Gray Man is now in cinemas and streaming on Netflix from 5pm AEST on Friday 22 June