Chris Evans shares why he was initially hesitant on taking on the role of Captain America, turning down the offer twice

Chris Evans shot to international stardom with his role as Steve Rogers a.k.a Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He played the character in seven films, leading the Avengers films along with Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, and also starred in his own trilogy of films.

Evans’ role in the MCU was his big Hollywood breakthrough. Seeing how much he has contributed to the character, who is known for his integrity and moral compass, it is surprising to know that the actor had rejected Marvel’s offer twice before finally picking up the shield.

Chris Evans Was Unsure About Accepting The Role Of Captain America

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers

The star-spangled suit was not Chris Evans’ first stint with Marvel. He played the role of Johnny Storm a.k.a the Human Torch in Fox’s Fantastic Four films. Hence, the actor was reportedly not on the initial list of actors for Captain America, when Marvel wanted to make the film. However, Kevin Feige mentioned that the team then could not find anyone more perfect than Evans. He said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter,
“And as we [continued] not finding people, we went back to the initial lists. And that brought us back to Chris. And I thought, well, Patrick Stewart played Jean-Luc Picard and Charles Xavier. Harrison Ford played Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Who cares?”

Chris Evans as Captain America

Evans was then reportedly offered the role, with a nine-film contract, which the actor refused. They then came back with a six-film deal, which Evans passed again. The actor admitted that at the time he was feeling anxious over the media attention and pressure he was facing as an actor. He said in an interview with GQ about his mindstate when he was offered the role,
“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. You always end up questioning, Is this what I should be doing? I just wasn’t sure if I was moving closer to myself or further away. And something inside me kept saying that I was getting further away—that something about this industry wasn’t healthy.”
However, he was convinced by his eventual co-star Robert Downey Jr. to accept the role.

Why Did Chris Evans Accept The Role Of Steve Rogers?

A still from Avengers: Endgame

After rejecting the offer twice, Chris Evans was reportedly called to the Marvel Studios office to check it out by Kevin Feige. Evans mentioned the temptation to do the role conflicting with his need for privacy and freedom. He reportedly weighed the advantages and disadvantages of playing the role. The actor was offered a multiple-film contract and had the opportunity to headline one of the biggest franchises in the world. He mentioned in an interview with GQ,
“The pros were that I’d be able to take care of my family forever; the cons were that I would become deeply, deeply unhappy with fame and loss of control.”
Evans then reportedly had a conversation with Robert Downey Jr., who encouraged him to accept it. The actor reportedly said yes to the role and immediately went to the therapist. Evans has since said that he loved playing the role and that it has given him a lot of what he has now. He said,
“I love playing that role…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…You kind of feel like you were just lucky enough to go along for the ride.”
Chris Evans has starred in seven films as Captain America, with Avengers: Endgame being one of the highest-grossing films of all time. The actor has benefited monetarily from the films as well, with his appearance in the final film reportedly earning him $20 million.