Chris Evans was initially reluctant to star in Captain America. However, fellow actor Robert Downey Jr. eventually convinced him to take on the big character in the MCU.
Chris Evans embodied one of the most important characters of the MCU in three solo films and the four Avengers parts with Steve Rogers aka Captain America.
However, the actor was initially so reluctant to play the Marvel hero that he turned down the role several times.
But with the help of MCU colleague Robert Downey Jr., he ended up making “the best decision” of his life.
Here you see a trailer for Captain America – The First Avenger with Chris Evans:
German Trailer for Captain America – The First Avenger (2011)
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Chris Evans turned down the offer out of fear
He was invited several times by Marvel to audition for the role of Captain America. But every time the actor refused and was sure that he had made the right decision:
“I’d said no a few times and woke up feeling good. I’ll stick to my opinion,” he thought to himself. (via eonline.com)
Why did Chris Evans turn down the offer? Chris Evans was very scared at the time, even to the point of having panic attacks.
He was intimidated by the thought of fame and the impact it could have on his personal life and doubted his acting career.
His experience in Fantastic Four also contributed to his skepticism about Marvel’s offer, as you can read about here with our colleagues from film launches.
After that, however, Marvel approached the actor again, this time offering him the role of Captain America directly. Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, gave the actor a weekend to consider the offer.
Chris Evans then spoke to his therapist, his family and a fellow actor: Robert Downey Jr. who was already part of the MCU as Iron Man.
Since the actors both had the same agent, Robert Downey Jr. called Chris Evans to discuss the role offer. That helped a lot, as the actor recounted:
[…] And just listen to him [Robert Downey Jr.] gave me a little nudge and I felt a little bit more part of the group and not as intimidated.
I think it was a double-edged sword: on the one hand you feel welcome, but on the other hand you’re like, ‘Oh man, do I have to stand next to this guy? He’s awesome in this role. I don’t want to be the weak link here.”
But it was very comforting to hear that he was on my side.
Chris Evans via comic book
This time, after getting the opinions of his confidants, he accepted the role offer, becoming Captain America in the MCU.
In hindsight, Chris Evans was glad he took the role after all, as reported by CNN:
“It was the best decision I’ve ever made.” He owes his role in the MCU in particular to Kevin Feige, who remained persistent despite the actor’s several cancellations. That saved him from a huge mistake.
He added, “To be honest, all the things I feared never really happened.”
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