Frank Grillo Reveals Why He'd Want To Return To The MCU As Crossbones - Exclusive
Some actors have a gift for playing villains: Jason Isaacs, Christopher Lee, Anthony Hopkins, and — from the MCU — there's Frank Grillo. Grillo's performance as Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones is one of those sneaky performances that becomes more essential the more you think about it. From the start, Grillo played Rumlow with an edge. By the time you get to that elevator fight between him and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," Rumlow feels like a bonafide badass — and that's after a fight that he loses.
Similarly, Grillo gives a solid performance as Duke in the new Lionsgate film "The Gateway." The film is about a social worker named Parker (Shea Whigham), whose life starts to fall apart while he's helping single mother, Dahlia (Olivia Munn). Dahlia's life also starts to fall apart when her former partner gets out of prison and drags her back into his life of crime.
And in the midst of all of that is Grillo's Duke, a criminal less interested in diagnosing his own rough life, and more interested in making money no matter the consequences to those around him. Looper sat down with Grillo to talk about his portrayal of villains, including in the MCU, and whether or not we'll be seeing him again in that world anytime soon.
Frank Grillo needs his own MCU action figure
There are a few things to consider when it comes to Frank Grillo's performance as Brock Rumlow. For one thing, he technically dies in "Captain America: Civil War," but the forthcoming Marvel multiverse renders that insignificant. For another, Grillo already reprised the role in both "Avengers: Endgame" and, more recently, in "What If...?" In fact, we haven't even seen the last of Rumlow in Marvel's current animated project.
"I think I'm in three so far," Grillo revealed. "Yeah, everybody's in them. I mean, when Marvel calls, you go." But Grillo wants back into the MCU for more reasons than one; he's also got some very specific skin in the game — action figure skin, to be precise.
"I was just talking to [Anthony] Mackie because I was in Target with my kids, and there's another big Mackie as Captain America," Grillo said. "And I'm like, 'You know what? I got to get back into this. This is not right. That Mackie is Captain America, and I have to buy his doll.' So I want time to come on. Kevin Feige, get me back in the world."
You heard the man, Disney — we need Frank Grillo dolls as far as the eye can see.
"The Gateway" is in theaters and on VOD now.