No matter what he does with the rest of his career, Chris Evans will always be known as Captain America. It’s the role that will ultimately define him when all is said and done. While he loves and embraces this fact now, there was a time when he feared being branded solely as the superhero guy. It’s the reason why he initially rejected the opportunity to play Steve Rogers twice. Evans obviously agreed to play the part eventually though and he sure is glad that he did.
“Marvel has made a collection of films that even — had I not been a part of these movies, had I said no to these movies — it would have been the biggest mistake of my life. I consider these movies what Star Wars was to me. These are incredibly special. What an unbelievable collection, this tapestry of movies they’ve had to [connect]. This will never happen again. This is something that [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige, and this collection of really special actors that I feel blessed work with, and the directors, the writers — it’s so special to me.”
Evans also says that his original fear of being connected forever to that one role has since dissipated. While it’s true that he can’t walk down the street without people calling him by his onscreen character, the 38-year-old actor has learned to embrace being such a vital part of fans’ lives.
“It was at one point in my life something that I was really apprehensive about, in retrospect I can say in complete confidence it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Few would argue with that. The role ultimately made Evans a household name across the nation. It also made him a ton of money and allowed him to be an integral part of one of the most iconic franchises in cinematic history. Maybe even more important than all of that, portraying Captain America helped him make lifelong friends with his co-stars.
“Even if, just for these idiots, for the friendships I made, just for the friendships,” said Evans, nudging Don Cheadle and Jeremy Renner. “Even if these movies sucked and my career was tanked because of pigeonholed, just to be friends with these morons [was worth it].”
Avengers: Endgame, the installment that marks the actor’s final turn as Captain America, is currently playing in theaters worldwide.
