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Before landing a role in Captain America: The First Avenger, Sebastian Stan was struggling to find work in Hollywood and residuals from Hot Tub Time Machine helped him survive.
Sebastian Stan has played Bucky Barnes in various Marvel projects for 15 years. (Photo Credits: X)
Sebastian Stan has become a well-known name after appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where he plays the character of Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes. Before landing his role in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011, Stan was struggling to find proper work in Hollywood. It was the residuals from his role in the 2010 comedy Hot Tub Time Machine that helped him survive. His big break came when Kevin Feige allowed him to join the MCU, which made him one of the most recognised actors of his generation. Currently, Stan is gearing up for the release of Thunderbolts, which is part of the MCU’s Phase 5.
Speaking with Vanity Fair, the actor said, “I was struggling with work. I had just gotten off the phone with my business manager, who told me I was saved by $65,000 that came in residuals from Hot Tub Time Machine.”
Marvel gave Sebastian Stan the platform he needed to show what he could do as an actor and it opened many doors for him. Other than MCU, he went on to star in A Different Man, which earned him a Golden Globe. He also played Donald Trump in The Apprentice, for which he received Best Actor nominations at the Oscars earlier this year.
Admiring Stan’s career arc, Chris Evans, who played his best friend in Captain America: The First Avenger said, “Sebastian has always been fearless. You can see that in his choices. He takes big swings. When that Trump movie was kicking around, I remember thinking, ‘I wonder who is going to take this job? It’s just got so many strings attached to it.’ I was so unsurprised when I heard it was Sebastian.”
Sebastian Stan has played Bucky Barnes in Marvel movies and shows for almost 15 years now. He first appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger and later returned in big projects like The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Black Panther, Infinity War, Endgame, Captain America: Brave New World and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In May, he’ll be seen again as Bucky in Thunderbolts, alongside Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Marvel has also confirmed that the actor will be one of the 27 actors appearing in the much-awaited Avengers: Doomsday, set to release in 2026.