Zachary Levi has played some pretty memorable roles through the years — from Chuck to Shazam which cemented his place as one of the most reliable actors in Hollywood. But little do fans know that he actually tried his luck to become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe during its formative years but unfortunately came up short.
Earlier this month, Levi claimed that he was nearly cast as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy but it turns out that wasn't his only shot at becoming an Avenger. Appearing on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, the 42-year-old star revealed that long before DC presented him the opportunity of playing the Earth's Mightiest Mortal, he actually auditioned for the role of Captain America, a character that would help define Chris Evans' Hollywood career.
While Zachary believes he nailed his audition and had a great read, he admits that he lacked the energy the Star-Spangled Man role required and it's something Evans had from the get-go.
Levi recalled: "I remember going in for Captain America and I was thinking, well, you know, I look like Rogers pre-serum! Like, clearly they could help me work out and I could get big, but, wasn’t meant to be – I did not have that energy, Chris Evans had that energy. I know I had a great read, I just wasn’t their guy, you know?"
Also Read: Zachary Levi Recalls How He Almost Landed One of Marvel's Beloved Heroes
Despite losing the bet to Evans, Levi still got his MCU shot years later in the Thor franchise, although his involvement left nothing to be desired. Thankfully, he landed the role of Shazam over at the DCU but with the way things are going, it doesn't look like he has a bright future over at James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted franchise.
DC's Shazam! Fury of the Gods is screening in cinemas.
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