Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Crossbones in Captain America: Civil War.

‘Marvel Almost Fired Me 36 ****ing Times:’ Frank Grillo Remembers How Hard It Was Being an MCU Actor

In the age of spoilers, it’s getting harder and harder for places like Marvel Studios to keep things close to the vest. A lot of it falls on the actors, who are constantly answering questions and trying not to reveal information. Frank Grillo had an especially hard time with that.

Recommended Videos

Portraying Crossbones in Captain America: The Winter Solider and Captain America: Civil War, it looked like things weren’t going to get too complicated for Grillo, as his character met a grisly end. However, with the multiverse being the multiverse, he returned for Avengers: Endgame, and all the secrecy got to the actor.

“You know, unfortunately, there’s nothing I can really say that wouldn’t get me in trouble,” Grillo told ComicBook.com about dealing with spoiler culture. ā€œSo I kind of have to step back and go, ‘I take the fifth.’ I am so bad at this. Like, Marvel almost fired me 36 f***ing times because I don’t know. I never want to lie. And so, I do that a little too much. But I’ve been warned.”

Related: ā€˜Oh, Really:ā€™ James McAvoy Reacts to Fan Calling X-Men: Dark Phoenix His Worst Film

Despite getting in trouble and beginning to work with Marvel Studios’ biggest competitor, DC Studios, now led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, Grillo isn’t ruling out playing Crossbones again.

“I don’t know, at this point in my life, all the things that I thought were real and true, I’ve learned as a man who’s now matured, that if they ask me to do that, I would love to go back and do it,” he said. “And I’m loving what I’m doing with DC. I love James Gunn and Peter Safran and they’ve given me an amazing opportunity. But at this point, I’m happy about everything I’ve done and I’m certainly willing to…if they meet me, if there’s something great to go do, I would certainly be ready to go do that.”

However, even if Marvel wants to bring him back into the fold, they’ll have to get in line because Grillo is set to play Rick Flag Sr. for DC in the animated Creature Commandos, as well as Peacemaker Season 2.


The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission.Ā Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Jackson Hayes
Jackson Hayes
Associate Editor
Jackson Hayes is an Associate Editor at The Escapist. Starting his writing career in 2017, he quickly rose the ranks and became an editor. He's spent the last six years working at outlets such as CBR, Heroic Hollywood and Full Circle Cinema, where he's covered various sports games, Call of Duty, the MCU, and other major properties. You can follow him on Twitter @jacksonhayes67