Roundtable Interview With Chris Evans On Captain America: The First Avenger

With Captain America: The First Avenger hitting theatres this weekend, we decided to sit down with star Chris Evans and chat with him about the film. The actor talked to us about not only Captain America: The First Avenger, but also his upcoming film The Avengers. We discuss his fear of initially taking the role, what it’s like being on the set of The Avengers, how he deals with being a sex symbol, and much more.

Check out the interview below and make sure you take a listen to the audio version at the bottom.

Question: You had to go to therapy when you took the role, why?

Chris Evans: I went because I was very apprehensive about taking the movie, I was nervous about the lifestyle change, about the commitment. You know, it’s six movies, that can last 10 years. I love making movies but I’m not dead set on being a gigantic movie star. I like to have the option to walk away if I want, with a six picture deal, you can’t walk away.

I also like having anonymity, I’ve managed to work and kind of stay under the radar. You know, I’m not on top of everyone’s list and I can’t make any movie I want. I can make some and I make a decent living, but I can still go to a ballgame or Disney world. Losing that and having to change my lifestyle was just terrifying.

I said no the first few times because I was scared to do it. The more I spoke to people about it though, the more they said that I can’t make a decision based on fear. When I finally agreed to do it, I needed to fix my brain and find out why I was so scared so I went to therapy. It’s not like there were giant breakthroughs in the therapy either, it was just nice talking.

Question: So are there going to be six Captain America films then?

CE: No, 3 Captain America films and 3 Avengers films. Marvel wants to lock you up. But Captain America: The First Avenger makes me more nervous out of the two, in The Avengers at least I’m sharing the workload.  There is nothing that I’ve ever done that compares to the pressure of Captain America, this is by far the most nerve wracking.

Question: Captain America is a lot of people’s favorite superhero because he’s so stalwart and he does have those beginnings as the scrawny guy, people just love the character. Did it rub off on you being that stalwart guy?

CE: Well you can’t help but to bring some of your character home with you, that’s just the way it goes. If you’re spending the whole day tyring to digest how someone thinks, you can’t help but to adopt some of those traits. It was a good feeling though, a good way to go.

Question: In regards to The Avengers, I’m sure that Chris [Hemsworth] is going through a similar thing, did you build a camaraderie on set?

CE: Ya, Hemsworth and I are in the same boat, especially with this film. We’re both kind of in uncharted waters, but it’s been great for us to have one another. And Robert Downey Jr. has been so great, he’s so positive and so available and I just didn’t know what to expect coming out of this movie. He’s so engaging and encouraging. He’s amazing, I cannot say enough about him.

Question: I’m guessing that by now you’ve done your first scene with everyone in costume, what was that like?

CE: Pretty cool. In Captain America: The First Avenger, you’re the only in a superhero outfit so it’s different. The first day I came on set for The Avengers, the two that really did it for me were Thor and Iron Man. Seeing that Iron Man suit in real life was very cool and Chris Hemsworth, he is Thor!! He’s huge and when he gets dressed up it’s like “wow, this is the God of Thunder.” He’s a scary dude.

Question: Did you hold his hammer?

CE: No I won’t touch his hammer.

Question: Are you aware, that in some parts of the world, the bullies are the Americans?

CE: Oh is that what you think? How dare you! This interview is over! [Laughter]

These are the political questions that I’m going to have to field, but the movie isn’t trying to be a flag waving film. It’s the way that the character was created, we can’t change the fact that he was created in America. There was no confusion in the 40s as to who the evil power was. We can all agree that Nazis are bad.

Obviously at this time there will be varying political opinions but that’s the way it’s going to go. We’re not trying to say that this movie is pro-America, this is about a man who stands up for the thing in his heart that is good. It’s not about his allegiance to a certain country, it’s about his allegiance to values and character. This film could be called Captain Good, he just happens to be from America.

Question: Do you struggle with being a sex symbol?

CE: I don’t even know how to answer that. I don’t even know if I consider myself as one. It’s tough to feel that way, especially when standing next to Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr.

Question: Put it this way, do you struggle with being considered attractive to the majority of women who see your movies?

CE: No, how’s that for an answer? [Laughter] I’m fine with it. I don’t consider myself in that way though to be completely honest. Trust me, if you saw me from birth to about 17 years old, you’d see that I looked very different. I just did Fallon the other night and I brought some photos, go watch it, you’ll see that it was a bumpy youth.

Question: What was your training like?

CE: Brutal. We did about four months and I had never had a trainer before. We would go about two hours everyday and it was horrible.

Question: Did you get to keep one of the prop shields?

CE: No I didn’t get to keep anything, I wanted to though.

Question: For the future Captain America films, do you want to see them go towards an unseen 40’s adventure?

CE: Sure, I would love if they could do that. I felt a connection to the character through the 40s, it gave a nice quality to the film. I’d love it if the sequel could incorporate some sort of flashback of an unseen tale of Captain America in the 40s.

That concludes our interview but we’d like to thank Chris Evans very much for talking with us. Be sure to check out Captain America: The First Avenger, in theatres this Friday.