“That was scary”: Chris Evans Was Terrified of Working For Marvel, Didn’t Want To Be Captain America Despite Robert Downey Jr.’s Request
Chris Evans is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s finest. He made a name for himself playing the Human Torch from Marvel Comics in two Fantastic Four films. With his intense acting abilities, the actor has captured the hearts of millions of people. Over the years, Evans has collaborated with numerous big-banner franchises.
However, the 42-year-old rose to fame after starring as Captain America in many MCU films. He played Captain America for nearly ten years, making his debut in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and his final appearance in Avengers: Endgame (2019). His status as one of the highest-paid actors in the world is thus greatly influenced by Marvel. In an interview, Chris Evans revealed he was scared of playing the superhero role in the franchise and almost turned it down.
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Chris Evans almost turned down playing Captain America in the MCU
Chris Evans has done many fulfilling roles in his successful acting career. Despite starring in various films and being part of other franchises, he is famous for his part in Marvel. The 42-year-old played the beloved character Captain America in the MCU. He has millions of fans all around the world thanks to his endearing and engaging performance in Marvel.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live, Evans revealed the reasons for not immediately saying yes when offered the role of Captain America. The actor confessed he almost turned down the famous role due to commitment issues to such a long-term contract.
The Gifted actor confessed to being scared because, at first it was some 9-picture contract, and there are parts of him that have a little bit of social anxiety with this industry and doing movies one at a time. He said,
“If all the sudden you decide you don’t want to do them anymore, you’re afforded the opportunity to take a step back and recalibrate. When you have a giant contract, if all the sudden you’re not responding well, too bad, you’ve got to suit up again, and that was scary.”
The Ghosted actor further added,
“It kept coming back my way. I said no a few times, and it kept coming back, and I talked to a few people in my life, family, and friends, and it just started to kind of make sense that I was saying no out of fear, really, and you can’t do anything out of fear. You can’t be doing something because you’re scared, so it ended up kind of clicking to me in the way of looking at it and saying whatever you’re scared of, push yourself into it.”
Many people reached out to the Marvel star, including Robert Downey Jr., famous for playing Iron Man. Despite Downey Jr.’s request, Evans was not ready to take the role, and ultimately, it was his mother who convinced him to do it. Chris Evans overcame his early concerns, giving fans the classic perspective on Captain America.
Also Read: Disney CEO Seemingly Confirms Chris Evans’ Future After His $225M Box-Office Failure
Chris Evans’s portrayal of Captain America in Marvel
Chris Evans made his first appearance as Steve Rogers/Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011. The film follows Rogers, a skinny, bullied orphan in the 1940s who is transformed into the muscular Captain America thanks to a top-secret serum manufactured by the government. He then leads the American Army in a successful battle against the Nazis.
The 42-year-old played the character for eight years in various Marvel movies and decided to retire from his duties in a shocking turn of events in Avengers: Endgame(2019). His character had a happy ending with Peggy Carter, and the shield was passed onto Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie.
The upcoming film Captain America: New World Order will continue the legacy of Chris Evans’s Captain America as Sam will be seen playing the Cap for the first time.
Captain America: New World Order comes out in 2024.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live
