Hayley Atwell’s Captain America Audition Almost Brought Director To Tears

Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnston recalls Hayley Atwell’s audition in a new book, saying her performance almost made him cry. Atwell’s Peggy Carter debuted in the 2011 superhero movie, with the star acting alongside Chris Evans, Stanley Tucci, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, and Toby Tones. Atwell portrayed the Strategic Scientific Reserve agent who would go on to found S.H.I.E.L.D. and fall in love with Captain America himself, Steve Rogers.

In Captain America: The First Avenger, Atwell’s agent works alongside Abraham Erskine (Tucci) and Colonel Chester Phillips (Lee Jones) to create a super-soldier for the Allies during World War II, recruiting the short, frail Rogers (Evans) for his heart and good character. She and Rogers fight HYDRA together and manage to fall in love before the pair are forced to part. It was revealed in a recent behind-the-scenes Marvel book that Evans needed convincing by Robert Downey Jr. to take the role, and the same book has also revealed details about Atwell’s casting.

In a discussion with Johnston featured in Tara Bennett and Paul Terry’s book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the director recall Atwell’s first screen test. He states that, due to Evans being absent, an assistant recited the scene with Atwell, though he and the rest of the crew were nevertheless soon fully invested in her performance. Johnston then admitted he was so taken aback by the emotions on display that he was on the verge of tears, calling Atwell’s performance amazing. Check out Johnson’s full recollection below:

We’re all sitting there in this quiet room in Shepperton. Chris Evans wasn’t in town, so one of the assistants was off camera, reading his dialogue… We’re shooting this scene and I start thinking ‘This is really emotional.’.. I’m going to burst into tears any second… It was just so amazing.

Atwell and Evans’ final exchange has become a much-referenced scene with a long-lasting impact on the MCU, from Avengers: Endgame finally paying off their dance to Marvel’s What If…? recreating the goodbye with a twist in “What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?.” In the main Infinity Saga storyline, Steve reunites with an aged Peggy in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, telling the long-retired S.H.I.E.L.D. founder he couldn’t forget to keep his promise. Wanda Maximoff also causes Steve to see twisted visions of his and Peggy’s dance in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Throughout the Infinity Saga, the promised date serves as a reminder to a past Steve can’t let go of, and fulfilling it in Endgame represents him finally finding peace.

Cap and Peggy’s farewell is one of The First Avenger‘s most memorable scenes, with both actors portraying each character’s dwindling hope through ostensibly optimistic dialogue. Even when Peggy becomes the Super Soldier, Atwell’s performance of defiance before suddenly breaking has lingered with fans, and it now seems that she brought that quality to the role before it was even hers. Atwell’s character has become a firm fan-favorite thanks to her performance, and with Marvel’s What If..? teasing future tales, it is possible that fans can look forward to her return sooner than later.

Source: The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

About The Author