Frank Grillo nearly turned down his role in Avengers: Endgame

Frank Grillo made a cameo appearance as villain Brock Rumlow/Crossbones in the concluding movie in the Avengers saga but revealed that he considered turning down the role due to the direction the character had taken in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The 55-year-old actor said: "The trajectory of Crossbones took a turn and he was out of the series really quickly, right? And I was a little p***** off about it because, y'know, I signed a seven-picture deal with them.

"And it was like, 'Oh, you're going to be part of the Marvel Universe, right?' And it didn't happen.

"And so they called me and they said, 'Look, we need you to come down for a week for Avengers', and I'm like, 'For what?' And they go, 'Well, we can't...' I'm like, 'No, I'm not doing it.'

"So I hung up. I got a call back. I'm like, 'I'm not coming. Leave me alone.'"

Frank revealed that he was only persuaded to star in the film by his son, who convinced him that his appearance would be "a part of history".

He told the Lights Camera Barstool podcast: "My 22-year-old son said to me, 'You should go and do Avengers. I'm like, 'Oh yeah, why should I go?'

"He said, 'Because I'm telling you that you need to go. I don't care if you're in the movie for ten seconds. It's a part of history. It's a big deal. It's an important thing... everybody gets to, kind of, smile and go, Oh my God!'

"And that's why I did it, because of my son, not because of the Russos."