Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s Frank Grillo Wants to Play The Punisher

“I’ve been bombarded with people asking me about the Punisher. It’s amazing,” Grillo told Spinoff Online. “The interesting thing is … look, my friend Chris Evans started out as the Human Torch, and then he became Captain America. So I’m going to have to follow up on this.”

He also attempted to explain the fans who wanted to see him play the role, saying that he feels he fits into a certain mold of character actor often associated with the stoic, violent type of character The Punisher embodies.

“There’s a void in our country for guys in my age range who are blue-collar, regular guys who, given extenuating circumstances, it would be interesting to see how they respond,” he said. “I think somehow, I just hit a chord with the audience. ‘OK, I believe that maybe he’s a Charles Bronson-type.’ Which I was a fan of as a kid. It’s taken me in this interesting direction in the middle part of my career here. I stay fit and I’m in shape. I fight all the time. It seems to be working out.”

The Punisher has previously been played by Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson. Grillo is expected to reprise his role as Crossbones in Captain America 3, which is due in theaters on May 6, 2016.