During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Black Widow star O-T Fagbenle revealed that his commitment to his new comedy series Maxxx very nearly caused him to miss out on the role of "Rick Mason" (a character many fans believe is actually going to be revealed as Taskmaster).
"I guess I didn’t think it was a real thing," The Handmaid's Tale star said about being offered the chance to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "And I was so obsessed with Maxxx." Fagbenle was on holiday in Mexico when he heard from Marvel Studios, and ended up taping his audition using an iPhone. "After I'd recorded it, I was like, 'Oh that's a pretty good tape, actually.'"
That won Marvel Studios over, and as Fagbenle explains: "It just escalated again and again and again to the point it was like, 'Oh my God, like I'm actually going to be in a Marvel movie."
Unfortunately, with Black Widow and Maxxx scheduled to start shooting at the same time, it looked like the actor could miss out on one of the biggest roles of his career. "Maxxx was not a movable thing in my heart," Fagbenle explained. "It was a scary thing to be faced with the prospect of having to make a Sophie's choice." Ultimately, director Cate Shortland shifted things around, meaning "I was going from casting actors to set."
It remains to be seen whether Fagbenle becomes a permanent fixture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but this role in Black Widow is clearly one he really didn't want to end up missing out on.