Sebastian Stan has shared insight into his lead role as Marvel mainstay Bucky Barnes in the upcoming Thunderbolts*. Having first appeared alongside Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger, Stan, who is set to appear as Donald Trump in biographical drama, The Apprentice, later returned to the MCU for six more films.
His most recent film appearance came during the climactic battle of Avengers: Endgame before teaming up with Anthony Mackie in the six-episode Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, further starring Wyatt Russell as the failed Captain America contender John Walker/U.S Agent, who reprises his role alongside Stan in Thunderbolts*.
Speaking to Variety, Stan compared Thunderbolts* as “kind of like ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ — a guy coming into this group that was chaotic and degenerate, and somehow finding a way to unite them.”
As the conversation steered onto the hate and vitriol facing a recent slate of Marvel films, many of which have fought against industry strikes, delays, and negative critical reception, Stan said it had “become really convenient to pick on” the franchise. “And that’s fine. Everyone’s got an opinion. But they’re a big part of what contributes to this business and allows us to have smaller movies as well.”
“This is an artery traveling through the system of this entire machinery that’s Hollywood. It feeds in so many more ways than people acknowledge.” He adds, “Sometimes I get protective of it because the intention is really fucking good. It’s just fucking hard to make a good movie over and over again.”
Thunderbolts* stars an ensemble of returning MCU faces, including Florence Pugh and David Harbour from Black Widow, the first film to launch out of Phase 4. Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) and Harrison Ford (who makes his Marvel debut in Captain America: Brave New World), fill out the cast.
