Chris Evans Nearly Turned Down Captain America!

Chris Evans Nearly Turned Down Captain America!

In a recent interview, the actor admits he had reservations about signing up to play Steve Rogers in The First Avenger: Captain America...

News
By JoshWilding - May 02, 2010 12:05 AM EST
Source: M&C

In an interview with Empire Magazine, Chris Evans said that he was initially unsure about taking on the role of Captain America:

"It was a couple of weeks weighing all the options. There was certainly a period where I was shying away from the movie. It's intimidating. It's pretty daunting. There's certainly a life-changing role there and that was part of the process."

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"Did I want to take this on? I like supporting roles, I like the way my life is now and I have the best of both worlds. This would potentially change that. But you know what? This could be a good thing."

Evans also went on to reveal that he's not too familiar with the character and so has been preparing for the role by catching up on his comic book reading, "I have to start reading some comic books in order to get an idea of who this guy is and where he came from, before I can start building the character."

The First Avenger: Captain America is set to be released on July 22nd, 2011.

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80sFace
80sFace - 5/2/2010, 6:05 PM
All he needs to do is read the current run. Pretty much everything else is bunk. And... he needs to learn about the significance of the Cosmic Cube. That's going to play into the story line, so time to get cosmic.
InTylerWeTrust
InTylerWeTrust - 5/2/2010, 6:06 PM
It's the biggest role of his entire career. I don't blame him for being hesitant. And him reading up on the character is yet another good sign that he'll be great in the role. So he's bulking up, knows the importance of the role, and is researching the character so he knows how to portray him. Win.
Breasticles7
Breasticles7 - 5/2/2010, 6:08 PM
Another reason for me not to like this guy.
ukboy28
ukboy28 - 5/2/2010, 6:11 PM
life changing role indeed, i do like Evans, he was a total left sided choice to play capt which i never thought of at the time, he'll be great, i have no doubts about that.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 5/2/2010, 6:14 PM
I think(hope!) he'l do great. I watched The Loserss yesterday. Man, if they had of made it R and toned down the silliness it could have been very good.. the cast and the characters were all cool. Evans was pretty funny and likable..but a very different role to cap.
ukboy28
ukboy28 - 5/2/2010, 6:16 PM
ror@ what did you think of evans as mace in sunshine???

and how's life?
DaenerysTargaryen
DaenerysTargaryen - 5/2/2010, 6:17 PM
It's good to hear he's reading comics. :)
Breasticles7
Breasticles7 - 5/2/2010, 6:19 PM
I feel like he's not taking this seriously, there were plenty of other actors perfect for the role who were familiar with cap, and Evans didn't even audition. It just seems fishy to me.
bigshow2312
bigshow2312 - 5/2/2010, 6:22 PM
Watch somebody use that new Thor pic as their avatar pic...
TDKR11
TDKR11 - 5/2/2010, 6:22 PM
I believe Chris Evans is going to play a great Captain America and make fans forget he once played Johnny Storm.

Its good to know that he's aware how iconic Captain America is. This movie is the only movie that I cant wait to see in 2011.
CaptainAmerica
CaptainAmerica - 5/2/2010, 6:25 PM
"I feel like he's not taking this seriously"

Really??? How the [frick] did you come to that conclusion?
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 5/2/2010, 6:25 PM
I'm still sure that Evans is the right guy for the job and I honestly cant blame him for being intimidated by the thought of playing Cap! This isnt like his past roles which have mainly involved him being part of an ensemble - the success of The First Avenger: Captain America rests entirely on his soldiers as will, to a lesser extent, The Avengers! Personally, I have every faith that he'll be able to handle it! :)
blankofthedead
blankofthedead - 5/2/2010, 6:26 PM
[frick] this guy.. he gets a damn gift from the sky here with the biggest role of his life and all hes done is bitch about what a burden this is.... recast and give it to someone who will appreciate it. damn this guys a little pussy
CaptainAmerica
CaptainAmerica - 5/2/2010, 6:29 PM
Wow, we have a bunch of dumb[frick]s on this site. Good job blankofthedead.
ViperXX79
ViperXX79 - 5/2/2010, 6:30 PM
Not taking it seriously? Did you even read any bit of the article? He's spent a lot of time making the most important choice in his life and now he's going to start researching the role so he can get a better idea of how to be Cap.
Phinehas
Phinehas - 5/2/2010, 6:33 PM
blankofthedead
Wow. You ought to learn to catch the tenor of conversation. He's not being ingrateful, he's nervous that this will make or break his acting career. He's not saying "Meh. I could live with out it..."
His apprehension is justified. CBMs are, historically for the last 10 years, a gamble. Most don't reach legendary status the way that Nolan's Bat and Fav's IM have.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 5/2/2010, 6:36 PM
Breasticles..oh, like who? Those pretty boy hair farmers that were also mentioned who had barely any tv, let alone movie experience? Oh yeah, perfect.

Hey Ukboy, life is pretty good man, I'm busy as [frick] with college deadlines but otherwise its all good! Hows you? Yeah I loved him in Sunshine, great character..he was a dick but a fair dick! That movie ruled full stop.

Evans looks lie that dude from Reaper in the teaser pic!
blankofthedead
blankofthedead - 5/2/2010, 6:40 PM
You guys can have your opinion, i understand hes 'taking it seriously' and everyhting you guys wanna make all this bitching into.. He's spent almost every interview pointing out that cap is a great story without comic book ties and shit because hes afraid of being type cast. at least @phinehas can disagree without my opinion without trying to insult me.

@captainamerica- Sorry you feel so strongly for Evans as cap with NO possitive reactions from him whatsoever. glad you think im a dumb[frick] just because im not gonna hop up on his dick when all hes done is play the pitty card and talk aobut how hard shit is when hes got a golden egg in his lap
SHAZAM171
SHAZAM171 - 5/2/2010, 6:42 PM
I still think He's the wrong choice for Captain America. He's the Human Torch. Hollywood thinks that by reusing actors that have already played other comic book characters, We (Fanboys) will be happy and it will shut us up. We all know that hollywood monitors these fanboy websites and read our posts for ideas and celebrity possibilities for roles. So Hollywood...if you are listening??? WRONG CHOICE!!!! Ryan McPartlin from CHUCK is the choice to go with.
InTylerWeTrust
InTylerWeTrust - 5/2/2010, 6:42 PM
"A dick but a fair dick!"

LOL, true, you wanted to not like Mace, but you knew that he was justified in his "mission first" mindset. He was a good character, definitely, and Evans was great in that role.
BIGBMH
BIGBMH - 5/2/2010, 6:43 PM
I haven't read that much with Cap, so for me, Civil War kind of defines him for me. Before, I kind of saw him as this really partiotic strait-laced guy, so I was surprised to see him go against the government. It really shows him as a strong leader and the kind of person who stands up for what he believes in no matter what. The "No. You move." speach is really moving and pretty much sums up his involvement in the story perfectly.
That said, there's probably a lot of other stuff that's more important for him to read for Cap's role in this movie and the first Avengers movie.
superbatspiderman
superbatspiderman - 5/2/2010, 6:44 PM
Who would ever turn down the role of such a great icon that is like turning down Superman. I like Evans he is a good actor and he will be a great cap and the rest of the cast seems to be good as well.
ukboy28
ukboy28 - 5/2/2010, 6:45 PM
ror@ ah cool man, what can i say, i have my up and down days and indeed awesome character who you felt kinda felt sorry for and be pissed off at the same time and it proved he could do a serious role as well and yeah i love that film to :)
flames809
flames809 - 5/2/2010, 6:46 PM
he'll be great like all the roles hes been in
Phinehas
Phinehas - 5/2/2010, 6:49 PM
RorMachine
Before I make my statement, allow me to preface by saying that in no way am I supporting Breasticles's statement.
Why would they have to be stars from film or television? Why not a stage actor that isn't known? I mean, I understand full well that Evans is cast and that's that, but I'm just saying that there are other mediums to get good actors.
Ranger14
Ranger14 - 5/2/2010, 6:51 PM
I would like to also know who all those great actors for the role are. The scrawny yuppy boys that were on the short list? I am very thankful we have Evans for the role compared to the rest of the list.

If he put that much thought into taking the role, that means he DID take the role seriously. I don't see how that can be logically taken any other way. He wanted to make sure it was the right part for him and that he can do it justice, rather than just taking the part without thinking about it. To me, that shows maturity on his part.

Shazam@ He was the Human Torch a number of years ago! Do you realize how many actors have been cast in multiple comic book roles in movies? The list is quite extensive. Do people really watch an actor in one film and then always see them in that specific role forever?

I just caught up on the last season and half of Chuck, paying particular attention to Captain Awesome and I don't see him playing Captain America.

Logan@ The subtitle is for mainstream movie viewers who aren't familiar with Captain and it is pre-marketing for the Avengers movie. It is definitely a smart move from the marketing perspective.
DaenerysTargaryen
DaenerysTargaryen - 5/2/2010, 6:57 PM
Some of your guys reactions remind me of how fans reacted when Heath Ledger was cast as the joker. Instantly assuming the guy is gunna suck. The people who thought Heath was gunna suck really do look like idiots now.
Phinehas
Phinehas - 5/2/2010, 6:59 PM
Ranger14
In the interest of objectivity, I would think its safe to say that most haven't seen McPartlin's performance in any other role. So, he may have range and versatility. But he may not. We really don't know. His performance may be as deadpan as his Chuck character appears. But that could be McPartlin's acting coming out for a 2 dimensional character, which is part of that character's charm.

Starsapphire
No! I was one of them.
The guy really hadn't done too many versatile roles, in our defense. I still think my prejudice had some residual justification to it.
blankofthedead
blankofthedead - 5/2/2010, 7:03 PM
@ranger- he may very well be perfect for the role, but all he has done is been negative and talk about how indecisive he's been and how much of a burden it is.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 5/2/2010, 7:10 PM
Pine..Why not stage actor indeed, I wouldn't care as long as they had the chops, but breasticles insinuated that they were looking at some plethora of amazing talent before giving the role to Evans and they just weren't..at all! Also on the Leger thing, I actually wasn't worried. I had seen him give enough quality performances to know he had talent, I still thought it was an unusual choice no doubt, but I trusted Nolan. I do not however trust Johnston, he is my biggest fear for Cap, not Evans by a long shot.
SupermanReturns2006
SupermanReturns2006 - 5/2/2010, 7:15 PM
Paul Walker can make an awesome Captain America and I think he will be good playing "The Patriotic Soldier". Well, Chris already did played Johnny Storm from the 2 F4 films ? He already did played that character. We don't know if the Fantastic 4 films may need him to play Johnny Storm in the upcoming F4 sequels.

Ranger14
Ranger14 - 5/2/2010, 7:17 PM
Phinehas@ I hear ya and he does have the look for the part. Evans has a better build. More toned and proportionate, though McPartlin is taller and has a larger frame.

Blanketofdead@ I am not interpreting Evan's interviews as sounding negative at all. I see it that he is taking it very seriously and realizes that he isn't just taking on a normal one movie acting gig. I see it as no different than a job interview. Do I want to hire someone who just wants to take the job because it is a job, or do I want someone who is going to analyze the pluses and negatives and put some actual thought into the decision? I would take the latter each and every time.

I don't think Evans is perfect for the role, but he is better than the other options that were out there. Time will tell.

Ror@ I thought the Ledger casting was a great piece of casting when I first heard about it, but I was pretty familiar with a lot of his prior work.

Superman@ It has already been established they won't be using him for any future FF movies.
Phinehas
Phinehas - 5/2/2010, 7:20 PM
"but breasticles insinuated that they were looking at some plethora of amazing talent before giving the role to Evans and they just weren't..at all!"

Yeah, I know. I was trying to distance myself from that allusion/illusion.

I'm glad I was wrong about Ledger, but I don't think I was wrong with my preconcieved conclusions.
Between flops like The Order and The Brothers Grimm, I figured him a flash in the pan and soon would become cemented as just another supporting actor for the rest of his career. Had he lived, he would have been a leading man for the rest of his "natural" life.

ino019
ino019 - 5/2/2010, 7:24 PM
well...flame on!
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 5/2/2010, 7:35 PM
BULLSH1T he did LOL!

Damn FLAME ON is right!!!

Nah, he'll be alright, well as long as we get a rebooted FF movie, we can all distance ourselfs then from him from HUMAN TORCH!!!

RYAN KWANTEN by the way!

Cool stuff @ JOSH!
jazzman
jazzman - 5/2/2010, 7:40 PM
Evans will do alright as Captain America. i agree with some people here that why they keep on casting actors whos well known on another comic book movie.

i found it funny when Wesley Snipes wanted to play Black Panther he was stopped but Chris Evans and Ryan Reynolds both allowed to play more then one Marvel films.
DaenerysTargaryen
DaenerysTargaryen - 5/2/2010, 7:41 PM
If the Invaders human torch is in the Captain America movie, that would be insanely ironic.
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