If you aren’t watching NBC’s Chuck, then you really are missing out. I’ve long held this belief, but for some reason there are many folks out there who don’t believe me. However, if this little tidbit from the folks at Moviehole turns out to be true, you might just have to go back and catch up.

According to Moviehole, Chuck actor Ryan McPartlin (pictured above in Super Capers) said that he’s recently auditioned for the role of Steve Rogers, known more affectionately as Captain America. It seems fitting, as McPartlin’s character on Chuck is affectionately known as Captain Awesome. To his credit, McPartlin seems aware of the fact that even talking about it at this point is ludicrous:

“The one thing I can’t stand are these actors that are twittering about auditioning for Captain America. It’s really tacky,” he said. “With that said, it is in the casting process and like many other actors, I read for it, so we’ll wait and see what happens. Regardless, I’m pretty psyched to be Captain Awesome for the time being.”

This isn’t something that anyone should be too excited about, as every clean-cut young actor who can play All-American will be reading for the part in Joe Johnston’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Johnston himself is doing press today for his next film, The Wolfman, and will likely be bombarded with questions about the casting. As he has said in recent interviews, they are down to a short list of candidates and someone will be holding the shield soon enough. I’m sure we’ll find out whether McPartlin is on that list by the end of the weekend, at the very least.

That said, McPartlin doesn’t sound like a terrible choice for Steve Rogers. He’s a solid actor who has proven himself to have good comedic timing. Not that comedic timing is in the repertoire of Rogers, but you never know. McPartlin certainly has the look and enough promise. If Marvel Studios sticks to their current path — which includes casting relative unknown Chris Hemsworth as Thor — it would make sense to see someone like McPartlin play Captain America. And it would be appropriate, as the film should be about the character and not the name behind it. A big name Captain America would be a potential distraction.

Your thoughts?