The Marvel Cinematic Universe could’ve looked much different if John Krasinski had his way.
The 38-year-old actor was one of the top picks to take on the role of Captain America, competing with names like Channing Tatum and Chris Evans, who landed the coveted gig. Though many actors would’ve taken the loss pretty hard, Krasinski said he wasn’t too heartbroken—even though he received the news on his wife Emily Blunt’s birthday.
“My agent called and said, ‘They’re going to go with Chris Evans,’” Krasinski tells Variety. “And I remember I said, ‘Yeah, look at him. He’s Captain America.’”
Blunt, being the considerate partner she is, offered to cancel her birthday plans in light of the bad news; Krasinski wasn’t going to let that happen. “I said, ‘It’s Chris Evans. Of course we’re going to dinner,’” he explained.
The actor has spoken about his audition on numerous occasions, claiming he even got to try on the iconic costume and film on-set. During a 2016 interview on Conan, Krasinski jokingly revealed Chris Hemsworth’s body was the reason he didn’t take on the Steve Rogers role.
“I was putting on the suit like, ‘This is so amazing!’ And I got right to my waist. I was still shirtless, feeling pretty good about myself—wasn't 13 Hours yet, but all of a sudden Chris Hemsworth walked by as Thor and was like, ‘Hey mate!’ And I'm like...‘I'm good. This is stupid. It's OK. I'm not Captain America. It's fine.’”
