While Chris Evan’s career was mostly dictated by Captain America in the last decade, playing a brave man, who is a symbol of truth and justice, isn’t exactly his cup of tea. Before landing the part of Steve Rogers, Evans mostly took gigs of characters who were a far cry from his virtuous Marvel counterpart.
Moreover, after parting ways with the MCU in 2019, the actor was back to playing such smug characters again, especially in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out. David Yates, who helmed Evans’ Pain Hustlers, later touched on the actor’s tendency to play such morally questionable characters, which doesn’t resemble Evans in the slightest.
Chris Evans Excels at Playing Roles That Are a Far Cry From Himself
From playing an egotistic big-screen action star in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to the scheming twist villain in Daniel Craig‘s Knives Out, Chris Evans has proven to be impeccable in tackling smug roles. It’s pretty apparent that the actor enjoys visiting such territories with his filmography, which also adds to the experience of the viewers. Reflecting on this notable pattern, which has been present throughout his career, David Yates explained that “It’s the fun of reaching for something that he’s not”.
I think sometimes opposites are appealing,
Moreover, the actor once joked that the role of Captain America, which remains his biggest role to date, was an outlier for him.
I think, if anything, playing Captain America was slightly against type.
Evans isn’t wrong, as even the actor’s introduction to the realm of superheroes was through playing the Human Torch in Fox’s infamous Fantastic Fox releases.
While the superhero did help in saving humanity in the movies, the two entries didn’t shy away from delving into his smugness, a trait that Evans clearly excels at portraying.
Playing the Egoistic Human Torch Again Was a Dream Come True for Chris Evans
While the Knives Out star has been hesitant towards the idea of returning as the virtuous Avengers leader again, he had no second thoughts when it came to stepping into the shoes of his egoistic superhero counterpart. Reacting to his return as Human Torch in Deadpool & Wolverine, who continues the infamous Fantastic Four trend in the MCU, the actor shared it was a dream come true.
Playing Johnny again was a dream come true and he’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Although it remains to be seen if Evans eventually opts to return as “America’s A–“, it’s safe to say the actor isn’t done with playing a**holes yet.
Knives Out is available to stream on Netflix.
