“I felt very confined”: Biggest Reason Aaron Taylor-Johnson Was Hesitant to Take on Quicksilver Role in MCU Despite Massive Paycheck

English actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson is known for his portrayal of Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. He had initially appeared as a superhero in the post-credit scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He was highly appreciated for his performance in the movie and became a fan favorite but was killed off as he sacrificed himself to save Clint Barton/Hawkeye.

The actor has recently portrayed another Marvel superhero, Sergei Kravinoff, a.k.a. Kraven, in the recently released Kraven the Hunter. The movie is a part and the concluding film of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Even though the actor’s performance along with some of the action sequences in the movie has been appreciated, the movie overall has received negative reviews. Taylor-Johnson recently shared why he was hesitant to take up the role of Quicksilver.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson reflected on his time as Quicksilver in the MCU

Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is busy promoting his recent release, Kraven the Hunter, spoke to Josh Horowitz for his Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he looked back on his time as Pietro Maximoff. The actor admits that it took the studio a lot of convincing to make him agree to take up the role for Avengers: Age of Ultron, with him adding that Joss Whedon came to him with the role.

Taylor-Johnson explained that he had at the time accepted a role in Gareth Edwards’s Godzilla, and because Godzilla is a popular franchise, he thought that he was stepping into the commercial cinema. He added,

I want to become the next Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman, and Christian Bale. I am a British actor, and I am going to do indie dark stuff, and I am going to do real drama and stuff.

The actor also noted that he had turned down another major movie to say yes to Godzilla because he believed in Gareth Edwards’ vision. He continued that Joss Whedon came in to discuss the Avengers’ role, and he revealed that it took them a year’s worth of chatting and negotiation before he said yes. He explained,

I didn’t feel comfortable at the time. I had my children, and I didn’t want to do a TV series, and I didn’t want to do an umpty franchise. I felt very confined in this lineup of things.

Whedon explained to Taylor-Johnson that it was just one movie and his character would sacrifice himself. The Bullet Train actor said yes but was adamant about embracing Pietro Maxmioff’s roots and Eastern European background. The actor’s pay hasn’t been revealed but it is known that the MCU pays a good amount.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson jokes about Wanda Maximoff not resurrecting Quicksilver

The actor who is excited for the audience to watch his recent release cannot stop wondering one question when it comes to Quicksilver. In his conversation with IMDb, he described his co-star and on-screen sister Elizabeth Olsen as a phenomenal actor.

He added that she is a wonderful person and pointed out that where in the MCU they played brother and sister, in Godzilla they played husband and wife. He then went on to ask one question about his on-screen sister, who happens to be a witch and can manipulate and alter reality.

I don’t know why she didn’t resurrect me.

In his conversation with Josh Horowitz, he was asked if the studios reached out to him asking him to return to the franchise, to which he coyly replied, ‘Well, maybe not everything’s out there then.’ The actor did not reveal if he was asked to return to the franchise or not but the way he answered the question, it seemed like the studios did reach out.

The actor has always spoken about his time in the MCU in the most positive way and was satisfied with the performance he gave.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven the Hunter is playing in cinemas.