Chris Evans will forever remain MCU’s Captain America in the eyes of his fans and the general public. He has starred as the super soldier in hit Marvel movies like Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Endgame, and more. Not to mention the fact that he has cameoed in other Marvel films too.
One would assume that his Marvel journey was easy. But that’s not the case. The actor rejected the role of Captain America many times before finally saying yes. But he was convinced to say yes to the role by a fellow MCU co-star. But in an interview, he instead credited Marvel boss Kevin Feige for encouraging him.
Chris Evans Almost Lost Out On Legendary Marvel Role Due To His Fear
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Chris Evans laid bare his feelings about his long career. He explained that at one point in time, he thought about quitting acting because he thought that he hadn’t made a good film yet. Evans said:
“It (shooting of 2010s Puncture) was the first time I started having mini panic attacks on set. I really started to think, ‘I’m not sure if this [acting] is the right thing for me, I’m not sure if I’m feeling as healthy as I should be feeling.’”
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It was right then that Marvel called him to test for the role of Captain America/ Steve Rogers. If he was hired, he would have to sign on for 9 films. Of course, he would also get a huge salary and be compensated for his work. But Evans declined stating that the fame that would come with the role would make his anxiety unbearable.
Ultimately, the Defending Jacob star didn’t turn down the role once, but several times even after the number of films he would be required to star in was reduced to 6. What ultimately made him change his mind was the support of a co-star Robert Downey Jr.
Chris Evans Credited Only Kevin Feige For Helping Him To Take On Captain America
The Hollywood Reporter stated that in the end, Marvel offered Chris Evans the part of Captain America outright. This made the actor take a step back and evaluate his decisions and priorities. But even then he wasn’t sure. It was ultimately Robert Downey Jr. who told the Ghosted star to not make decisions based on fear.
Evans took that advice and finally said yes to the role because not only was Downey Jr. already in the MCU, but he also shared a therapist, an agent, and several friends with the actor. However, in the THR interview, he credited only Kevin Feige for helping him get the role. Evans said, “It was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I really owe that to [Marvel chief] Kevin Feige for being persistent and helping me avoid making a giant mistake.”
The decision to only thank Feige and not Downey Jr. shows Evans in a poor light. But it’s understandable why he did that. After all, Marvel was persistently after the actor and even offered him the role outright. A little reading between the lines will show that Feige too had multiple talks with the actor in an attempt to bring him on board.
That encouragement along with Downey Jr.’s words would have made Evans take the leap that made him a star today. So him praising Feige doesn’t mean that he’s slighting the Iron Man star. After all, the two MCU co-stars are still good friends.
The Captain America trilogy is available on Disney+.
Source: THR
