Scarlett Johansson Coaxed Frank Grillo Into Crazy Captain America 2 Stunt

Frank Grillo, who portrays Brock Rumlow in the MCU’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, needed some convincing from Scarlett Johansson to do one of the film’s craziest stunts. Grillo’s character is the commander of S.H.I.E.L.D’s counter-terrorism STRIKE team but is later revealed to actually be a double-agent working for the terrorist organization HYDRA.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the second film in Captain America’s standalone trilogy and is widely regarded as his best solo movie. The film stands out from the other two for its complex plotline, more dynamic villains, and darker tone. It also explores the relationship between Steve Rogers and his childhood best friend Bucky (a.k.a. the Winter Soldier), who becomes his nemesis after being brainwashed by HYDRA. The film also marks the first in the MCU directed by the Russo brothers, who would also direct Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Grillo’s portrayal of Brock Rumlow is notable, as he returned for Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame, and is set to return for more MCU films.

 In a recent interview with Collider, Grillo revealed some of the stunts in his career that he almost didn’t do. For Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it was a scene in the first ten minutes of the movie when Brock Rumlow and Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff parachute onto the aircraft carrier. He explains that the aircraft carrier was around 150 feet above the water, and they were attached to a crane that was another 150 feet up from the carrier, and they had to drop into the frame as if they were parachuting off of a plane. Grillo initially said that he wouldn’t do it, suggesting that his stuntman handle it instead. But when Johansson said that she was doing the stunt, Grillo could no longer sit it out. Check out Grillo’s full explanation below:

“We were doing Cap 2, Winter Soldier, and we were out in Long Beach on an aircraft carrier. So however many stories above sea level the boat is […] it’s like 150 feet up, right? There was a crane on the deck which was another 150 feet up, so you’re probably 300 feet up from the water. And basically what we had to do was clip into the crane, and they dropped us so that it looked like we were flying onto the boat. And I wasn’t gonna do it. I said, ‘I’m not doing that! Let my guy do it, I’m not doing it.’ And Scarlett Johansson said, ‘Well I’m doing it!’ So she went and did it, and then I had to do it. (laughs) I think in the movie I fly in behind her. And she didn’t, but I had shit in my pants, because I was that afraid. And it was pitch black! It was nighttime.”

Given how action-packed the MCU blockbusters are, it’s not surprising to learn that many of the actors opt-out of doing their own stunts. Even with stunt coordinators and months of training, many of the action scenes are still very dangerous, and one wrong move can be costly for both the actor and the production. For example, Robert Downey Jr., who loves to do his own stunts, broke his ankle while filming Iron Man 3, causing the production to shut down for several weeks.

While it’s certainly understandable why Grillo wouldn’t want to do the risky stunt, it’s also not surprising that Johansson didn’t even flinch. Johansson has consistently proven herself as one of the best parts of the MCU and often steals the show. It’s one of many reasons why her character’s standalone movie, Black Widow, is so highly anticipated and why Captain America: The Winter Soldier wouldn’t be the same without her.