Don Cheadle revealed what it took for him to sign on to play Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the Iron Man sequels and more Marvel Studios films.
Signing up to play a major part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be an easy decision for some, but actors often like some time to think about the repercussions of their choices. That said, Cheadle, who plays War Machine in the Iron Man films and the upcoming Armor Wars, was given only two hours by Marvel Studios to decide.
Cheadle told GQ he had only two hours to make his choice about Iron Man 2, and he was making it in the middle of his own child’s birthday party. "I was at my kid’s laser tag birthday party. They called me and said, ‘This is what’s happening and we’re giving you the offer. If you don’t say yes then we’re going to the next person," Cheadle said. "This is going to happen very fast. Why don’t you take an hour and decide if you want to do it.’ It was a six-movie deal! In an hour I have to decide?” It’s a difficult choice to lay on any actor, let alone one who is being asked to dedicate a significant portion of their life to playing one role repeatedly. The decision was scarier because when Cheadle asked about the character's arc, Marvel Studios told him they didn’t know.
Despite all the green screen and CGI involved, Cheadle says he finds the challenge of the movies to be the same as any other role. Cheadle said he is constantly looking for the reality inside the scene and then tries to portray that for the audience to believe the moment. This has carried him from his role as Tony Stark's (Robert Downey, Jr.) sidekick to the star getting his own movie, Armor Wars. That said, maybe there was something to Marvel Studios' admittance about Rhodes’ war Machine arc, considering they recently changed Armor Wars from a series into a movie.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe, for as big and popular as it is, hasn’t always been the most well-oiled of machines and sometimes it comes down to last-minute casting that can have decades of impact. There’s been fast casting done before, such as when Marvel Studios' worked with Mark Ruffalo's agents to get the actor to take over for Edward Norton's The Hulk the weekend before the convention where they announced the first Avengers movie.
Iron Man 2 is now available on Disney Plus.
Source: GQ