‘The Gray Man’: Chris Evans Details the Key to Bringing His Character to Life
After years spent playing America’s hero, Chris Evans is switching things up with The Gray Man. The affable Evans goes full-fledged jerk once again after years playing Captain America, but he revealed getting into character was about way more than just being mean.
Who is the villain in ‘The Gray Man’? Chris Evans shows his sinister side
The Gray Man sees Ryan Gosling (Sierra Six/Court Gentry) and Ana de Armas (Dani Miranda) team up to fight off Evans’ Lloyd Hansen and a cadre of mercenaries.
Netflix sums it up like this:
When the CIA’s most skilled operative—whose true identity is known to none—accidentally uncovers dark agency secrets, a psychopathic former colleague puts a bounty on his head, setting off a global manhunt by international assassins.
Billy Bob Thorton appears as Donald Fitzroy, Gentry’s handler. Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page, Jessica Henwick, and Dhanush, who admitted he doesn’t really know how he got cast in the movie, also play pivotal roles.
Evans played pricks well in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Knives Out, but he detailed how he brought Hansen to life for The Gray Man.
Evans details the key to bringing Lloyd Hansen to life: “It’s a guy who is unapologetically himself”
Bringing Lloyd Hansen to life wasn’t just about Evans being crass, rude, and brash. The actor’s mustache, haircut, and wardrobe contributed to his portrayal, but Evans revealed the key to portraying Hansen to Access Hollywood (via YouTube):
“It’s the wardrobe, the look, the haircut — that’s all fun stuff — but what it really is, is it’s a guy who is unapologetically himself. He moves through the world without concern for how other people see him, and I think that’s a trait we all can identify with and kind of connect to.”
Chris Evans details his process to bring Lloyd Hansen to life in The Gray Man
There you have it. The trick to Evans’ going full-on jerk, mercenary style, wasn’t about being mean. It was about being self-centered.
Is ‘The Gray Man’ available on Netflix?
Though it’s a Netflix production, The Gray Man enjoyed an exclusive theatrical release on July 15, 2022. However, that was only a limited run. The movie begins streaming on Netflix at midnight Pacific time on July 22. It will be streaming all day before the new films come out that weekend, such as Jordan Peele’s Nope.
The Gray Man’s runtime is just over two hours, which gives Evans fans a healthy dose of the former Captain America playing against type as an egocentric villain.
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