Why Chris Evans Didn't Want To Join The MCU (And What Robert Downey Jr. Said To Change His Mind)

August 30, 2024

Highlights

Robert Downey Jr. convinced Chris Evans to take on the role of Captain America with a big piece of advice.
Chris Evans was initially hesitant about the role because of concerns about privacy and being locked into a nine-movie contract.
Despite his initial doubts, playing Captain America ended up being a positive experience for Chris Evans and opened doors for his career, including directing opportunities.

In a recent Vanity Fair article about casting decisions at Marvel, it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. played a huge influence in convincing Chris Evans to take on the role of Captain America.

Evans had turned down the role before Downey spoke to him, feeling like the nine-movie contract was too much responsibility for the star. The Tropic Thunder actor explained to Evans that the superhero role could "expand his opportunities as an actor, not constrict them."

Evans admitted to GQ that he ultimately decided to sign up to the MCU, so he could "take care of my family forever." Although he was nervous about taking on the role, it ultimately ended up taking the actor to international stardom.

Why Chris Evans Didn't Want To Play Captain America

Chris Evans was one of the first people Marvel thought of when casting Captain America. They wanted an American for the role, as well as someone who was funny and charming. "But then beyond the obvious qualities, I think there were the other ones that were a little harder to discern: his humility, the sense that he had a moral compass, that he was very relatable. He has this vulnerability as well as strength, so we could take him from skinny Steve to Captain America," the casting director for the MCU admitted.

Evans knew that saying yes to the role was "the right thing to do," but he had turned it down twice prior and felt good about his decision to do so. So why did Chris Evans turn down a role so many actors would have dreamed of landing?

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“I like my privacy. The good thing about movies is there’s a lot of freedom built in: you make a film and then you have time off. If one of those films hits and changes your life, you have the opportunity to . . . run away," he admitted.

Another reason the Snowpiercer actor was concerned about the job was because the contract forced him into making nine movies. To entice Evans into the role, Marvel Studios rolled back his contract to six movies: three Captain America movies and three Avengers films. Although being locked into playing the character for a decade was scary, he decided, “maybe the thing you’re most scared of is actually the thing you should do.”

Did Chris Evans Make A Mistake Appearing In Captain America?

After taking so long to say yes to the role of Steve Rogers, Chris Evans regretted it.

He joined the role at a crucial point in his life. “I remember in my late 20s having a real shift in how I felt on set, how I felt promoting films: a little more anxiety, a little more uncertainty."

The Ghosted star admits that he was questioning what he wanted to do in his life, worrying that the entertainment industry "wasn't healthy." Evans initially worried playing Captain America could make him "deeply, deeply unhappy," but luckily he ultimately found solace in the role. “I love playing that role,” he explained to GQ.

“I feel connected to it in a way that when you revisit a character so many times you can’t help but try to absorb some of their traits and measure yourself against them.”

In the recent GQ interview, Chris Evans admitted the experience was mostly positive for him. “Without these movies, I wouldn’t be directing. They gave me enough overseas recognition to greenlight a movie."

Chris Evans Does Not Believe He Is The Star Of Captain America Movies

In a recent GQ interview, Evans explained that he doesn't feel like he is the lead actor in the Captain America movies. He admits he appreciates that he never had to be "front and center."

His comments were in response to director Quentin Tarantino's 2022 statements about the MCU, “Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is, you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters, but they’re not movie stars. Captain America is the star.”

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Despite spending quite a bit of money on cars and on houses, Chris Evans was still willing to shell out more cash to take care of himself.

The Captain America actor admitted he agreed, saying, “I was like, you know, he’s right. The character is the star. You’re there, but you don’t feel the burden of it.”

Samuel L. Jackson, a regular collaborator of Tarantino, disagreed with him. “It takes an actor to be those particular characters, and the sign of movie stardom has always been, what, a**** in seats? What are we talking about? That’s not a big controversy for me to know that apparently these actors are movie stars. Chadwick Boseman is Black Panther. You can’t refute that, and he’s a movie star.”

Why Chris Evans Walked Away From Captain America

Despite his skepticism, Chris Evans went on to play Steve Rodgers in 11 different Marvel movies from 2011 to 2019. He bowed out of the role during Avengers: Endgame but he still has a "never say never," attitude about coming back to the role.

Evans has admitted that he doesn't want to tarnish his legacy by returning to the role of the super soldier. “It’s something that I am very proud of. And, like I said, sometimes I can’t believe it even happened," but has added that he "wouldn’t want the black eye if it felt like a cash grab, or if it didn’t live up to expectations, or if it just felt like it wasn’t connected to that original thing."

In fact, Evans is looking to pull back from his career in Hollywood. “If I’m acting at all, it’s going to be under Marvel contract, or I’m going to be directing. I can’t see myself pursuing acting strictly outside what I’m contractually obligated to do.” Anthony Mackie will be taking over the role in the upcoming fourth Captain America movie.

However, Evans admits that he may change his mind in the future.“For all I know, in five years, I might say, ‘S***, I miss acting…right now, I just want to get behind the camera and make movies.”

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