No digital tricks here: Chris Evans' biceps were that huge in 'Civil War'
LOS ANGELES — They were the guns gawked at 'round the world.
And get this: They were real.
The moment in Captain America: Civil War when Cap holds down Bucky's departing helicopter had all the hallmarks of a digital-beauty enhancement — and hey, there's no shame in that. Just about everyone gets a little help in postproduction these days.
But Civil War directors Joe and Anthony Russo, doing the rounds to promote the film's home video release, swear on a stack of comic books: That shot was all in-camera. 100% Grade A Chris Evans Beefcake, nothing more.
Forgive us for being dubious. I mean, look at that thing:
But the Russo Brothers told Mashable on Wednesday that nothing about that shot was enhanced. (Watch for Mashable's exclusive clip from the DVD extras tomorrow.)
"Listen to this," Anthony Russo said. "The very first meeting we ever had with Marvel, when we came in to ask about Winter Soldier for the very first time, we asked them, 'Did you guys enhance [Evans] when he came out of that pod [in The First Avenger]?' And they were like, 'No. We swear to god, we didn't touch him. That's all Chris Evans."
So it is with Civil War.
And by the way, the inspiration for the "Marvel moment" actually came from another iconic muscle-man, who you may have seen if you've ever been up 5th Avenue going past Rockefeller Center in Manhattan:
Atlas flexed.
"Joe initially came up with the idea that he would hold the helicopter down," Anthony Russo told Mashable, "but that shot was very specific ... I remember before we shot it I was in Rock Center and looking at the statue of Atlas — and I'm thinking, what's the quintessential Captain America 'Atlas shot?' That shot was very much designed to that end, to be evocative of that Atlas statue there, in terms of showing his strength."
"The whole group gathered around when we shot it and were marveling at him, just like, 'I can't believe how big his guns are.'"
And it wasn't just us moviegoers who were impressed, folks.
"The guy gets so ripped to play that part," Joe Russo said. "I think the whole group gathered around when we shot it and were marveling at him, just like, 'I can't believe how big his guns are.'"
Neither can we.
Captain America: Civil War comes to Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on Sept. 2, then on Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand Sept. 13.
Of course Chris Evans nailed 'Civil War' fight scenes on the first take
LOS ANGELES — Chris Evans is one of those "get it right on the first take" kind of guys. Like that's a surprise.
In this exclusive clip from the DVD extras in the forthcoming Captain America: Civil War home video release, we learn that Evans doesn't need a lot of do-overs. Sometimes none.
Actually, according to the Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe, it's often none. Such a try-hard, this guy.
"He's a crazy quick study," Anthony told Mashable during the directing duo's promotional run for the film's forthcoming home video release. "Insanely fast. There are fights we've pre-blocked on the set that are really complicated that he gets in one or two takes."
SEE ALSO: No digital tricks here: Captain America's 'Civil War' bicep bulge was all Chris Evans
"He's a very good athlete, a very gifted technical actor, and he's great with body movement and great with body control," Anthony said.
See for yourself:
What made Captan America: Civil War special was that every blow landed just a little harder, meant just a little more — because the Russo brothers planned it that way.
"It is very purposeful,"Anthony said. "It's our organizing principle. We love action movies, but the only way we can find our way through an action piece is with story and character."
SEE ALSO: 'Captain America: Civil War' may be the best Marvel movie we'll ever get
It helps that they had a dozen movies' worth of character-building to play with, including their own Marvel movie debut, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But a lot of credit is due here: Civil War balanced something like 11 existing heroes while introducing two new ones (Black Panther and Spider-Man).
"We try to be extremely meticulous," Joe said. "When we're conceiving set pieces, we're figuring out a way to organize it around our story and our characters in a very interesting or poignant way."
Added his brother: "Joe and I are very disciplined about that ... it's a very focused process that starts at the script phase, goes through the shooting phase and well into postproduction."
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