Giancarlo Esposito Is Ecstatic To Join The MCU, Harrison Ford “Went For It” As Red Hulk, & More From Captain America: Brave New World Press Conference

Captain America: Brave New World is heading to theaters soon, signaling a new era for the MCU with Sam Wilson taking the mantle of Captain America. The stars and crew behind the film sat down for a press conference to talk to media about the film. The press conference included Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, director Julius Onah, producer Nate Moore, and head of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige.

Kicking off the press conference was Kevin Feige hammering home that this movie is all about Sam Wilson taking up the mantle of Captain America. He might not be a super soldier or have extra-human abilities, but he’s the everyman’s version of Cap.

Well, I mean, it was really all about Sam Wilson as  Captain America and continuing. We saw him in the biggest  movie we’ve ever made, Avengers: Endgame. We saw Steve  Rogers pass it to Sam Wilson. We wanted to continue that  story. And it’s always about bringing new characters to  the MCU, and this amazing cast that you see before you did  just that.

Kevin Feige on Captain America: Brave New World

I was struck by how much Harrison Ford seemed to have loved his role of Thaddeus Ross/Red Hulk. Some speculated that Ford would be a bit more gruff in response to questions about Red Hulk, but he looks like he’s taken to the role well. He had this to say about the role and other actors being in the MCU.

I was very happy with the opportunity to play in this playground. What an amazing group of people to work with,  and what an imaginative reality. So I was looking forward to having a piece of the action. I think the character was a great fit for me.  I was honored to be able to do my work on top of a foundation that a wonderful actor, Bill Hurt, provided for the character.

And the story is a wonderful extension of the stories that Thunderbolt Ross has been part of. And I  think that that I was, you know, I watched Marvel movies,  and seeing actors I really liked, really admired, have a great time, and I thought, hey, I want me some of that.

I just went for it. [laugh] And nobody stopped me.

Harrison Ford on his role in Captain America: Brave New World

Tim Blake Nelson is returning to play The Leader after his last appearance was all the way back in The Incredible Hulk. He had plenty to say about the role and how he couldn’t have done it 15 years ago.

In this version, which is not the version I expected  to play, I got to get better as an actor. thanks to Kevin and Nate and Julius and the  writers, they wrote a beautifully nuanced character that  was a wonderful challenge to play, and that I wouldn’t have  been able to play 15 years ago, because I don’t think I,  hopefully anyway, was the actor then that that I am now.  What we want to do most as actors is continue to grow, and  I feel like I needed this maturity to be able to play what  they wrote. 

And I’m incredibly grateful that they asked me back  and I had a great time with such a phenomenal cast. I’ve  known a lot of them for many, many years. And I agree with  Harrison. One of the features of the MCU is the way they  curate the world.

They put serious actors in their movies. They don’t  mess around in terms of shallow choices, in terms of  casting. And that starts with Anthony, who has such depth  and soul as an actor.

Tim Blake Nelson on his role as The Leader

Giancarlo Esposito was one of the highlights of the Captain America: Brave New World press conference. He just presented such an exuberance for his role and the film. He really highlighted how excited he was to play this character, Sidewinder.

But to me, the depth of this film is in its relationships. And the relationships that create empathy and friendship and trust, suspicion, all of these elements are tantalizing to me. And so I wanted to work with this group for a long period of time, and we know the story.  There was some fan-casting suggestions for me. But what tickled me the most was to be doing something that is new and different and bringing a new character into this world.  I have a great depth of respect for Anthony Mackie, and as  Captain America, who has all of the elements of charisma,  but also the elements of leadership and morality, and someone who’s lived it.

You know, in my conversation with Julius Onah  in trying to figure out who this guy is and how we should  work together, that mindfulness shows through. The mindfulness to the bigger picture of what this story is saying. But, you know, Nate Moore has taught me this is entertainment, this has gotta be fun, and so all of those  things play into the elements that make me very proud to be  a part of this project.

Giancarlo Esposito on Sidewinder in Captain America: Brave New World

Finally, Anthony Mackie talked about what he wants audiences to take away from Captain America: Brave New World.

I remember one day. Weirdly, we were on set and  Kevin came and we were talking and Kevin was like, you know, it’s gonna take some time. We were on set of  Endgame. And Kevin said just honestly, it’s gonna take some time for people to get over Endgame. It’s gonna take us time to get over, as, you know, the cast and the crew.  It’s gonna take us time to get over Endgame, because it was such a crescendo of emotion.

It was such an unbelievable storm that we witnessed of just film excellence, culminating to that moment. And I think of Captain America: The First Avenger,  which started all this. And it was a foundation. It was a building block that, you know, the MCU built and built and built to that amazing moment of Steve Rogers standing on that peak, looking out at Thanos’s army and all of us standing there with him, knowing that this was the end, you know?

It was the end the game, you know? And I feel like this movie, Brave New World, just like Captain America: The  First Avenger, is that foundation, that building block to build to that next crescendo, massive moment in the MCU  universe. And I just, I’m proud that we’re here at the beginning. Like, I’m proud to say that we’re that footprint that is at the beginning of that walk.

And I feel like Marvel gave me the best crew, the best script, the best cast, the best opportunity possible for us to make the best movie we could. And I’m just, I’m proud of it. Looking at all the stuff that they done before, and this being now, I’m just, I’m really proud of it.

Captain America: Brave New World releases in theaters on February 14th, 2025.

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