Actor Don Cheadle -- who stars as James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- hopes to see more opportunities for actors with disabilities following his character suffering a spinal injury in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.
While speaking at ACE Comic Con in Seattle, Cheadle was asked if he had seen any response from people with disabilities regarding his portrayal of War Machine. Cheadle responded, "I actually have. People have asked, 'What was the takeaway from that, did I consult with people?' And obviously, yes, I talked to people who have had spinal injuries and how to deal with that, and how to portray that... people have reach out to me with regards to that."
“In fact, there’s been kind of a movement about getting more actors with ‘disabilities’ to be able to represent and play themselves on screen, which I think is very important to continue to do,” he continued. “So hopefully those opportunities will expand and grow.”
Cheadle went on to explain the experience of taking his Marvel character on this journey, saying, “Seeing people’s responses, and when people come up and say it meant a lot to them, the character and the way it was portrayed, dealing with what he has to deal with after obviously what happens in [Civil War] ... and that he comes back, and that he’s able to stand strong again with his cohorts and to make the thing happen, that’s always very rewarding. And that’s the experience I always get from fans.”
Cheadle first appeared as Rhodey in 2010's Iron Man 2, most recently reprising the role in the record-breaking Avengers: Endgame.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Danai Gurira as Okoye and Bradley Cooper as Rocket, with Gwyneth Paltrow Pepper Potts, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Benedict Wong as Wong, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Josh Brolin as Thanos. The re-released version of the film containing bonus post-credits content is now in theaters.
(via ComicBook.com)