Harrison Ford took over the role of Thaddeus Ross inCaptain America: Brave New World, and the cast and crew were stunned by the incredible dedication and physicality he brought to the role despite being over 80 years old. As the Multiverse Saga comes to an end, theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)continues to highlight new characters, such as Red Hulk, in the lineup of super powered characters. However, when William Hurt passed away in 2022, there was a scramble to find a new actor to take his place as General Ross at the pivotal moment when he would finally get into the Oval Office, and transform into the Red Hulk.
Fans of the MCU have been looking forward to this moment for years, and with the MCU finally prepared to introduce this storyline, it needed a great actor to tackle a performance that balanced political diplomacy, and all out rage. Fortunately, thelegendary Harrison Fordstepped up, and while he is considerably older than when he played several other iconic action heroes, the cast and crew working onBrave New Worldwere stunned by just how much Ford threw himself into this role. A recent feature inEmpiremagazine highlights this with direct quotes from those involved.
What Captain America 4 Director & Actors' Red Hulk Comments Mean
Harrison Ford Gave His All Hulking Out For Captain America: Brave New World
Of course, Ford is an exceptional actor who has worked long and hard to create a reputation in Hollywood, but age affects everyone. So, with Ford being in excess of 80 years old, the team working on Brave New World were ready and willing to make accommodations. The actual physical part of Red Hulk’s character would largely be taken care of with CGI, but in terms of getting the transformation nailed as a painful, physical, and intense experience.Director Julius Onah praised his performanceas “mind-blowing. All of us on set were like, ‘Holy fucking shit, he nailed it? It’s really great to get back to a Hulk that is just fucking breaking shit, and a rage monster.”
Harrison Ford Addresses Replacing William Hurt For Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World star Harrison Ford explains why he took the Thunderbolt Ross role in the MCU after William Hurt’s passing.
Beyond the director’s impression of Ford’s performance, the actors closest to him on set alsocommended aspects of the performance. Xosha Roquemore plays the head of security, Leila Taylor, and she acknowledged how “Doing things like that as an actor is really vulnerable, everyone’s watching you go crazy. To watch that time after time was inspiring.” The star ofCaptain America 4, Anthony Mackie, also highlighted how Ford “went full at it, he would throw himself on the ground, he would do all this crazy stuff that you wouldn’t expect him to do as an 80-something-year-old man.”
Red Hulk Will Make Or Break Captain America: Brave New World
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Meanwhile, Ford himself stated that “The ability to just go RRRRRRRR-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR-HHHHHH [sic] is not the highest ambition that I have as an actor.” Considering his incredible and deeply entrenched experiences over the course of his career, Ford has been thrown into a lot of unusual positions. So, when it came time to imagine playing a giant monster full of rage, hisapproach was very straightforward. However, that is not to say that he did not give time and effort to preparing for the role, as he considered the goals and intention behind his performance.
“Just another day at the office. I tried to understand the ambition of the filmmakers, and to be useful to them. I just didn’t sit home at night and say, ‘Oh, what do I want to do when I turn into the Hulk?’ It didn’t seem to me to be a terribly difficult acting proposition.” - Harrison Ford
It’s clear that Harrison Ford did not hold back when it came to his performance, and his age did not appear to be a consequential factor in his efforts. Instead, the legendary actor put it all on the table, and the results impressed the individuals who were present to witness it. Now, it remains to be seen if the rest of the film can match up to Ford’s spectacular performance, and make it into somethingmarvelous forCaptain America: Brave New World.
Captain America: Brave New World
Cast
Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titledNew World Order)marks Sam Wilson’s first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers’ successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk’s former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.After meeting President Thaddeus Ross, Sam is caught in a global crisis. He must expose the mastermind behind a sinister plot before the world descends into turmoil. Captain America: Brave New World marks the big-screen debut of Sam Wilson as Captain America, and Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut, replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.
