Fox’s Free Guy just had its exclusive theatrical opening weekend, and the highly anticipated Ryan Reynolds film had some surprises for viewers - including an awesome cameo by former Captain America star Chris Evans. Apparently, things came together pretty perfectly for the cameo, as it took a ridiculously short time to film and arrange. This was due to director Shawn Levy and Reynolds’ quick thinking as well as Evans’ skills of adaptability.
Free Guy director Shawn Levy sat down with CinemaBlend’s very own Mike Reyes and had some behind the scenes info on Chris Evans’ cameo in the film, which was apparently a last minute touch. Levy's explanation of how Ryan Reynolds landed Evans is both humorous and amazing, but what's probably even more impressive is how the team actually pulled it off. Here it is in the director’s own words:
Literally Ryan just texted Chris Evans, because I guess all handsome movie stars know each other? It’s some network that us normal humans aren’t allowed in. But he knew that Chris was filming Defending Jacob in Boston, and he said ‘If you could come by our set, and if Shawn can get you in and out in 10 minutes, will you come and do this cameo’? And Chris, being the cool guy that he seems to be, and in fact is, said yeah. Literally, he drove by our set, I had a camera waiting, we filmed him in five minutes, he was on his way. And that’s how that happened.
I didn’t realize Ryan Reynolds had a direct line to an Avenger, but I guess it’s just one of the perks of working with Disney (and being a part of the super exclusive handsome, muscley actors guild, of course). In fact, it seems as though Disney's collection of iconic franchises was really great for Free Guy since the film has a ton of other Disney references and easter eggs, too. Aside from Chris Evans himself, his Captain America shield can also be found in Free Guy along with lightsabers and Hulk’s green fist - all elements now owned by Disney.
It sounds like Chris Evans's quick drop-in was partially due to the luck of him being in the area, but it can also be credited to how incredibly easy-going and just plain awesome the actor seems to be. Just as his character was in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's proven to be America's golden boy in real life, thanks to his endless love of dogs and playful relationship with Lizzo. Needless to say, the man’s got Labrador energy, and Ryan Reynolds took full advantage of it for our viewing pleasure.
Despite the minuscule amount of time it took to get Chris Evans in the film, it turned out to be a pretty perfect cameo. If you haven’t seen Free Guy yet, you can check it out in theaters right now. While it hasn’t been dropped to streaming just yet, it will likely be dropped to Disney+ at some point in the future - but this is one film you’d be wise to venture out and see on the big screen!
