An article on Collider wonderfully written by John Rico has sparked my imagination. The article, entitled ‘Should Will Smith Play Captain America?’ is a well written and well thought out look at why one of America’s best actors should pull on the red, white and blue tights.
I don’t want to just repeat what’s been said, and I’m hoping that coming at this from an Australian point of view, and thus more of a movie-goers point of view, will shed a little more light on why Will Smith really should be Captain America.
Let’s get the easy answer out of the way straight off the bat. Will Smith is an awesome actor. Any movie he is in seems to draw a crowd regardless of the content. If the Fresh Prince is on the screen, people will flock to watch it. He’s been in some of the most regarded and celebrated movies’ of all time, including Independence Day, Men in Black, I Am Legend and has received enormous critical praise for his performances in Ali and Six Degrees of Separation.
Why is he so popular? I think Rico hit it right on the head, saying that Will Smith “is one of those actors who exudes a seemingly inexhaustible supply of both charm and charisma.”
Now, unlike Rico, I don’t think the movie will need someone like Will Smith to draw a crowd. I have a little more faith in the character and in the writers’ ability to do what needs to be done with Cap. The character has one of the most diverse and interesting character stories of any, and the personality and actions that make up Captain America will definitely bring something interesting to the big screen.
So, other than the fact that he is a great actor, why should Will Smith get the role?
When I think about Captain America, I picture someone who represents good. I wouldn’t want a character called Captain Australia running around, but I don’t really care that Cap is a Yank; he’s the everyday man. With all the anti-Americanism out there, the writers aren’t necessarily going to be trawling through the list of American-focused stories out there to bring to the cinema.
Looking back to July of last year when Marvel Studios exec Kevin Feige gave us some info on the movie, it’s clear that it’s not necessarily going to be a “America Number One” movie. Feige says that its likely to "... actually end up being ... our most diverse and our most international film, in terms of the content." He went on to say that the movie "takes place overseas much more than any of our other films do. In terms of the cast, there’s a group that Steve works with that will have an opportunity for many more international actors than any of our other films.”
So we come back down to who is behind the mask, and I want a man who represents the everyday man. Will Smith isn’t exactly your everyday man, but he has always seemed a little less snobbish than many of the other Hollywood actors. He’s a family man and a man who despite his race has risen to be one of the premiere actors.
(Authors note – I would like to apologize if the term “black man” offends. I’m Aussie, so I honestly have no idea what is PC at the moment and what isn’t.)
And let’s not ignore the race factor. Let’s face it, especially in America the white versus black argument is still not entirely dead, and back in the mid 80’s when Will Smith started his early work it certainly wasn’t. So why not have a shift in the colour palette. We’ve seen it before with a black Nick Fury, in both the comics and the movies.
But a black Captain America?
Well why not? There’s a black American President isn’t there? What more, when you consider who Captain America is, could you ask for then a black man behind the mask, when there is a black man behind the desk in the oval office.
And let’s face it. After you’ve filtered through all the possibilities to play Captain America, which actor has the best resume, the best acting chops, and the best chance of pulling off the perfect role?
The only problems I see would be the introduction of a coloured man in such a high profile role during World War II for the Americans. But if you can come up with something that works, you solve the only problem I can think of. (I am not including the fan-boy riots that will occur, as half will be assuaged by how good Smith is and the other half is insane.)
So there you have the reasons I think Will Smith should play Captain America, the First Avenger.
Full credit to John Rico at Collider for the inspiration and thought provoking nature of his article.