The Marvel Cinematic Universe has assembled a jam-packed cast of incredibly talented performers over the last 11 years. Unfortunately, some of these performers have a hard time keeping a secret, and since the MCU thrives on secrecy, this can be problematic. With this, the Russo brothers thought it best if certain actors only got to read part of the script when cameras started rolling on Avengers: Endgame. But during a sit-down with Rotten Tomatoes, the film’s co-directors revealed that they trusted one specific actor to stay quiet.
“[Robert Downey Jr.] was probably the only one to actually read the entire script,” said Joe Russo. “I think Benedict [Cumberbatch] got the script that included his scenes only. [Chris] Evans might have read the whole script.”
“Part of our motivation to do that is it just takes a lot of pressure off of people,” added Anthony Russo. “I mean, it is hard to constantly censor yourself about what you’re saying, how you talk, because these movies are your whole life. It’s everything you’re doing all day long, the inclination is to talk about it. So we take a lot of pressure off of people just by saying, ‘Okay, the less you know, the less you have to mind yourself.'”
RELATED: The Russos Discourage Avengers: Endgame Spoilers in an Open Letter to Fans
The decision seems to have paid off in earnest. Last week, Mark Ruffalo shared that he filmed several different endings during Avengers: Infinity War, including one where Bruce Banner dies. Scarlett Johansson recently joked that her fear of spoiling the film during Endgame’s press tour is giving her PTSD.
“It is a more tedious way to work, to be honest with you, because we do have to do more discussion on set about context because they don’t have the entirety of the script to rely on,” continued Anthony Russo. “You do have to work harder in order to work this way, but we do believe it’s worth it because the payoff is a special experience in the movie theater for all the audiences.”
You can hear the Russos’ full remarks below, then let us know what you think in the comment section!
