CELEBRITIES
Chris Evans on his latest film, a who’s who of the superhero world
Chris Evans on his latest outing as Captain America, a veritable who’s who of the Marvel superhero world.
Captain America is more than a role — he’s a state of mind.
Chris Evans, the man who has wielded the red-white-andblue shield nine times now, knows that firsthand.
“Captain America is such nice energy to embrace every day,” the 36-year-old actor said. “You can’t help but to compare your own life to Captain America, and try to live up to that person.
“I don’t walk,” he joked. “I run!”
Another example: a recent trip to the grocery store.
“Those are the moments I’m comparing myself to Cap,” he explained during an interview in Phoenix. “I’ll stand in the frozen-food aisle and say, ‘What would Cap do? No, he wouldn’t buy that ice cream. He would get out of here now and go find the broccoli’.”
Evans is back in his signature role for Avengers: Infinity War, opening nationwide on April 27. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the film takes crossover to a new level as the Avengers and their allies battle the powerful Thanos (Josh Brolin), whose mission is nothing less than to destroy the universe.
The cast includes Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man and Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr Strange. Chris Pratt as Star-Lord and his Guardians of the Galaxy also are along for the ride.
As for the details of the plot, Evans has spent the past year trying to keep them under wraps.
“The running joke is, this movie is a war of infinite proportions,” he said. “What I can say is that the Avengers have just come off this huge battle in the last film. As a group, the Avengers are fractured. Everyone is finding their footing again, just in time to find that their universe has expanded and they also need to save that universe.”
As for Captain America, he’s got issues of his own.
“Stuff has happened to him,” Evans said. “I think the conflict with Cap and Iron Man in ( Captain America: Civil War, 2016) has taken its toll. Cap really valued that friendship, and he had to deal with this rift between the two of them. Cap’s nature, of course, is to put himself last and think of the greater good — but losing that friendship affected him.” After nine outings in the role, Evans has settled into Captain America. “The first few movies, it felt like this was happening to somebody else,” he recalled. “You kind of feel like you’re watching it happen from the outside. With Infinity War, this was the first time I felt like I had a seat at the table and really belonged.”
The addition of the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and its
2017 sequel was a particular thrill.
“It’s certainly a highlight of the movie,” Evans said. “It’s really fun to have this whole other franchise that you’ve watched and admired come to the set. You’re thinking, ‘Oh, man, this is a fun day at work.’ All of these great people were part of a movie that we were doing together.” Was he worried about it all being too much of a good thing? “No,” Evans said. “Marvel doesn’t miss. They haven’t missed yet. They’re batting 1.000. I don’t know how they do it, but they know how to bring all these characters together from different franchises. As a fan, it’s really satisfying, because as superheroes there’s not one bad apple in the bunch.”
One of his favourite scenes involved the Avengers and company running hard into battle.
“It was about 40 superheroes racing together,” Evans recalled. “I’m in my costume with my shield, acting out Cap, but inside all that toughness my inner fan boy was going strong. I was fanning and thinking, ‘I can’t believe I’m on the same stage as these people!’
“It really was a Who’s Who of the superhero world,” he said. “I looked to my right and saw Tom Holland, and then to my left and there’s 10 other really cool characters. You’re a voyeur in a way. It was really humbling.”
The huge cast found opportunities to bond during filming. “When Downey was on set, he would have what we called the Downey lunch,” Evans recalled. “He makes sure everyone goes. Downey even has a separate caterer. It’s really nice. He really makes everyone feel like family, even though saying that sounds cheesy.”
Despite his prior experience, Evans added, he still gets a bit nervous when he has to go into hero mode.
“The pressure is still there,” he said. “You feel this need to make the fans happy and outdo the last film.”
One of four children, Evans grew up playing superhero with a >>
terrycloth towel on his back in his family’s yard in Sudbury, Massachusetts. His creative DNA came from his mother, Lisa Capuano, artistic director of the Concord Youth Theater. The more practical side is courtesy of his father, dentist Robert Evans.
“I had a vivid imagination as a child,” Evans said. “As a kid, you’re soaked in make-believe. You’re just playing and having fun. You’re lucky to bring some of that imagination into adulthood.”
After high school, Evans moved to New York to study at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. His early films included Not Another Teen Movie (2001), The Perfect Score (2004), Cellular (2004) and Fierce People (2005).
His affinity for comic-book movies was clear when he was cast as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, in Fantastic Four (2005). He went on to comic-book projects including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2007), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010).
All that was simply a warmup for his signature role, which he originally played in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).
“What I liked about the character from the start is that Cap has adventure in his blood,” Evans said. “He has a Raiders of the Lost Ark vibe to him. I loved exploring his life in the ‘40s.”
He reprised the role in The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).
That’s a lot of shield carrying — and, it turns out, a lot of shields. “The average life of a Captain America shield is four days on the set,” Evans said. “This is regular wear and tear, including me being irresponsible and bumping into things. Then there are the fight scenes, that are brutal.
“The bottom line is, there can be no dings or chips on the shield,” he explained. “We burn through the heavy shields quickly, while the rubber ones last longer.”
Evans doesn’t mind a filmography heavy with comic-bookbased projects.
“There is so much great source material in the comic books, plus a built-in fan base,” the actor said. “I admire the story arcs and wonderful characters.”
That wasn’t always the case, mind you.
“I didn’t really read comics as a kid,” Evans said, “although I acted them out. It’s always heartbreaking admitting I wasn’t a comic-book fan as a kid, but I read them now.”
He’s not strictly a comic-book-movie star, though. Evans is currently starring on Broadway in Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero. It’s a drama about a young apartment-building security guard (Michael Cera) dealing with an intense rookie cop (Bel Powley) and her unpredictable partner (Evans).
As for the big screen, Evans already has proven his dramatic chops with Gifted (2017), in which he played a laid-back uncle about to lose custody of his math-genius niece.
“It’s nice to be able to mix it up and do it all,” he said.
Two things you can count on: He’ll be back as Captain America in a 2019 Avengers movie filmed alongside Infinity War, and he will direct again.
His first outing behind the camera was Before We Go (2014), in which he and Alice Eve played two strangers stuck in Manhattan for the night. It was a much smaller story than Infinity War, and that was fine with him.
“I love this quote that goes something like, ‘If it’s your first time in the kitchen, you don’t whip up a souffle. You don’t want to burn down the house.’ I wanted something manageable and that could be contained.”
Evans has a home in Los Angeles, but also has one in his native Massachusetts. His free time there is spent with his sister’s three kids and his dog.
“I do love Halloween there,” Evans said, laughing. “Nothing is funnier than running into a Captain America dad, with a beard, and his little kids. It’s great.”
It’s always heartbreaking admitting I wasn’t a comic-book fan as a kid, but I read them now. CHRIS EVANS