He’s wielded Captain America’s shield in two films, with a third to open in April, but Chris Evans nearly said no to the franchise.
“There’s a certain apprehension initially,” Chris explained to Access Hollywood’s Liz Hernandez about why he nearly didn’t take the role.
“When you do movies one at a time, there’s a certain level of control you have in your career. With a six-picture contract, if one of these movies comes out, there’s a positive response and as a result your personal life and your level of anonymity is altered,” Chris continued. “You may potentially need an opportunity to retreat and regroup. And if you have this contract, you may not be afforded that chance.”
Chris said he was a little worried about making such a lengthy commitment.
“The fear was you’re making a decision for six, seven, eight years of your life and who can tell what we’re gonna want tomorrow,” he told Liz. “I don’t think anybody knows what they’re gonna want tomorrow. And signing up for that and the commitment was just intimidating, and I was pretty content with my career at that point.”
The actor said eventually, some good advice changed his mind.
PHOTOS: ‘Captian America: The Winter Soldier’ Press Junket
“Every time I kind of backed away, it kind of kept coming back, and then I’d back away and then it kept coming back, and eventually it almost took a shift in my mentality where it felt [like] maybe this is what I should do. And I’ve talked to a lot of people about this. They say… ‘Whatever scares you, jump in. If that’s what you’re afraid of, lean into it,’ and it just kind of shifted in my brain and it just felt like, ‘You know what? Maybe this is exactly what I should do!’
“In retrospect, if I hadn’t done it, I [would have] been kicking myself. It was the best thing I could’ve done,” Chris said.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” hits theaters on April 4.
— Jolie Lash
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.