Jeremy Strong was almost Captain America — kind of.
The “Succession” star would have played Chris Evans’ body double in 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” but he turned down the role.
In the first act of the movie, only Evans’ face can be seen as Steve Rogers-Captain America. To show a young Rogers before he got injected with the serum that would turn him into a superhero, the visual effects team put his face on the body of a more lanky actor — which was almost Strong.
Strong shared with the Times UK that he was told about a “top secret” Captain America film and that he wouldn’t play the lead role.
“But they needed someone to play Captain America’s young body, before he turns into a superhero,” he said. “They said they needed a transformational actor and would use CGI to put the actual actor’s face and voice over my own.”
The now-43-year-old actor was “broke” and “needed money” at the time and considered taking the role but ultimately turned it down, which contributed to Strong leaving Hollywood for New York.
“That’s my story of LA. It was just never going to happen for me here. It didn’t feel like what I had to offer was valued,” he shared. “And the next day I went back to New York and did a play about a veteran from Afghanistan in a wheelchair during the blackout of 2003.”
Evans, who was just named People’s 2022 Sexiest Man Alive, said he “gasped” when he found out Strong — with whom he grew up in Sudbury, Massachusetts — almost played his scrawny body in the movie.
“Oh no!” Evans, 41, exclaimed.
“It just goes to show the industry is so unpredictable,” he said. “But I’m so happy things worked out, because I don’t think there was ever Plan B for Jeremy.”
Strong stars as Kendall Roy in the HBO series “Succession,” which will air Season 4 in 2023. He is also starring in the film “Armageddon Time,” which is currently in theaters.
