Not every actor enjoys working with Marvel but their roles in the cinematic universe can do wonders for their bank accounts.
Take Sebastian Stan who, even as an actor who had been working steadily since 2007, wasn’t getting much heat before he became Bucky Barnes – also known as The Winter Soldier.
The actor spoke to Vanity Fair about his previous career struggles and how his life in Romania shaped him.
You Are My Mission!
Stan was having trouble finding work before landing the Winter Soldier spot in 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger.”
“I was actually struggling with work. I had just gotten off the phone with my business manager, who told me I was saved by $65,000 that came in residuals from ‘Hot Tub Time Machine,’ he told Vanity Fair.
Prior to “Hot Tub Time Machine,” Stan took roles in smaller movies like 2008’s “Rachel Getting Married” and 2006’s “The Covenant.” He also appeared in the show “Gossip Girl” over the course of several seasons.
Marvel producer Kevin Feige wanted to find a darker version of The Winter Soldier. He thought casting then practically unknown Stan would be a good fit.
“You could see that he has so much inside him and so much behind his eyes,” Feige recalls. “I’ll never forget that. I said to Stephen Broussard, who was one of the producers on Captain America, ‘He’s going to be a good Bucky, but he’s going to be a great Winter Soldier.’”
Stan will have taken on the role of The Winter Soldier ten times by the time 2026’s “Avengers: Doomsday” is released.
Choice Maker
The Vanity Fair piece also reveals that Stan and his mother moved to New York when he was a kid. Stan would reconnect with his father and develop a relationship with him until his death in 2021.
Stan is also a fan of taking chances in his work. His fellow actors find the trait endearing.
“Sebastian has always been really fearless,” said “Captain America” star Chris Evans. “You can see that in his choices. He takes big swings. When that Trump movie was kicking around, I remember thinking, I wonder who is going to take this job? It’s just got so many strings attached to it. And I was so unsurprised when I heard it was Sebastian.”
Stan’s “The Martian” and “The 355” co-star Jessica Chastain also praised his choices.
“When we were on set for “The 355,” that’s when he first told me he had had the offer to play Donald Trump. A thing about Sebastian that people might not realize is he’s very, very thoughtful, almost to a point where he overthinks things,” Chastain told Vanity Fair.
“It could cause a little bit of stress. He was like, ‘Well, what do you think? What would you do?’ I said, ‘Do it.’ I was like, ‘What do you have to lose? Take a risk.’ As long as it doesn’t cause you physical danger, if something scares you—do it.”
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Sebastian Stan’s Marvel-ous Second Act