Thunderbolts* star Sebastian Stan channeled Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven for Bucky Barnes
Sebastian Stan channeled Clint Eastwood's old gunslinger from 'Unforgiven' for his performance as Bucky Barnes in 'Thunderbolts*'.
Sebastian Stan was inspired by Clint Eastwood in ‘Unforgiven’ for his performance in ‘Thunderbolts*’.
The 42-year-old actor has reprised his role as James ‘Bucky’ Barnes in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) blockbuster, and has now revealed he channeled Eastwood’s retired gunslinger William Munny for his anti-hero in ‘Thunderbolts*’.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Stan said: "I feel like the hardest era for Bucky, for now, has passed.
"I always thought of Clint Eastwood in ‘Unforgiven’ when I was broaching this movie. It’s sort of like the older guy that’s been there, done that; so ‘take it from me kid’ kind of thing, that’s where the sense of humor was coming from.
"But it’ll be interesting to see how people feel about Bucky this time around."
The actor - who has played Bucky Barnes since 2014’s ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ - added it was good to explore the anti-hero dynamic of the character alongside his ‘Thunderbolts*’ teammates like the Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen).
He explained: "It’s always funny when there’s that dynamic with people like these characters, right, because technically, are they villains? Are they heroes or not, where do they stand?
"It’s what [his character] Bucky Barnes is essentially, he’s always been trying to figure it out and they are too."
‘Thunderbolts*’ - which also stars Lewis Pullman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Olga Kurylenko - follows the mismatched team of former villains and anti-heroes who band together for a covert mission, only to discover they’ve been set up and must fight for their own survival.
Stan previously described ‘Thunderbolts*’ as a "misfits" movie that felt thematically similar to John Hughes’ beloved 1980s teen drama ‘The Breakfast Club’.
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Stan shared: "I think this movie is very singular and will stand on its own. I know these are bold words, but there’s no other Marvel group that you can kind of compare us to, it’s its own thing.
"It's like ‘The Breakfast Club’, that’s the best way of describing it. A pair of misfits that hopefully don’t kill each other."
As for ‘Thunderbolts*’ director Jake Schreier, the filmmaker revealed that he was influenced by ‘Toy Story 3’ when crafting his superhero movie.
Schreier told Empire magazine: "I had ‘Toy Story 3’ in there. It wasn't as focused on a genre as much as dynamics amongst characters. They all have that dynamic of a team that is thrown together."
The director explained that he was particularly inspired by the scene where Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the gang link hands when they accept their apparent fiery fate in a furnace.
He said: "That sequence works so well because you've come to care about these characters so much. Can they get out of the trash can together? It really is just ‘Toy Story 3’."
