‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Wyatt Russell Auditioned for Captain America Without Realizing It
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiered on Disney+ on March 19. Wyatt Russell stars on the show as John Walker/Captain America. Before landing the role as Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Russell originally auditioned for Steve Rogers/Captain America for 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.
Of course, as Marvel fans know, the role of Steve Rogers went to Chris Evans. In a moment of serendipity, Russell ended up being cast as a new Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. While Russell knowingly auditioned for the role of Steve Rogers, he had no idea his audition for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was for a new Captain America.
‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ was Wyatt Russell’s first audition
Russell’s parents are actors Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. Before becoming a full-time actor, Russell was an ice hockey player. He later shifted his focus to acting after sustaining a serious injury while playing hockey.
While Russell had appeared in a few of his parents’ movies as a child and was used to the film industry, he had never auditioned for a role before. During an interview for The Off Camera Show, Russell revealed his first audition was actually for Captain America: The First Avenger.
“I went and did an audition for Captain America,” Russell said. “It was literally my first thing. I walked in and was like ‘What do I — I just say the lines?'”
Despite his inexperience, Russell still impressed the casting director.
“I didn’t get it, but the casting director said ‘Yeah, you’re good. And you’re green, but you’re pretty good and we’ll bring you back on other stuff,” he said.
Wyatt Russell did not know he was auditioning for Captain America
Even though Russell’s first audition for the Marvel Cinematic Universe did not end with him getting the role, he did get another chance to audition for a Marvel project.
In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Russell revealed that he did not know he was being asked to audition for the next Captain America.
“The second time around, I didn’t know it was for Captain America. They don’t tell you who you’re trying out for. You get the part and then you have to ask who it’s for,” he said.
Russell continued, “So there wasn’t much in the way of me choosing anything. I did have questions about whether or not I’d be able to do it and whether I was the right guy for the role.”
What ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ actor thinks of John Walker
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, John Walker is not a super likable character when compared to the main protagonists Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).
While speaking with the Toronto Sun, Russell explained what Marvel fans can expect from John’s journey as Captain America.
“John lives in a era where superheroes have existed. He knows about them and he’s been alive while they’ve existed,” Russell said. “So he has a preconceived notion of what that’s supposed to be. But that gets beat down and it ends up being not what he thought it would be. He has to deal with the ramifications of that.”
