As Don Cheadle explained during a career retrospective video for GQ, when Funny Or Die first approached him about playing Captain Planet, he had never heard of the character. The would-be video's creators assured him that he would be a perfect fit to play the '90s-era animated hero. In 2010, Cheadle was appointed as a UN Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador (via UN News).
"I read the thing, it made me laugh, and I was like, 'Yeah, let's do it,'" the actor told GQ. But when it came time to sit for hair and makeup, Cheadle took pause. "So I'm sitting down in the makeup chair, and they start to come over with this blue face paint. I was like, 'What's that?'" The team responded, "'Well, this is how Captain Planet looks,' and they showed me a picture of him. I was like, 'That's ridiculous. I don't want to do it,' and I almost left." Luckily, someone was able to convince the actor to overlook the outlandish makeup. "I did it," said Cheadle, "and I immediately regretted it after I did it. But then I saw it and it made me laugh. So I thought it was pretty funny." Indeed, the hit video — which has since racked up over 10 million views on YouTube – subverts the squeaky-clean character's image and turns him into a villain who won't stop turning people into trees.
Despite his initial misgivings, Cheadle returned for Part 2 in an even brighter shade of blue. He concluded, "That Captain Planet was very messed up, clearly."
