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An upcoming book reveals Chris Evans didn't want to play Captain America because he was worried about being forced to make ‘sh***y’ movies.
Vanity Fair obtained an excerpt from MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards, and it details how the actor was initially hesitant to join the Marvel franchise.
In fact, Evans even passed up an opportunity to audition.
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However, the studio ‘really’ wanted the actor and stopped at nothing to get him.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige revealed that he invited Evans to Marvel Studios to pitch the first Captain America movie.
Feige recalled ‘bringing him in, showing him the artwork, showing him what was happening in this movie.’
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The studio then proceeded to offer Evans a nine-movie contract with no audition required, but the A-lister took a weekend to decide.
A weekend that Feige described as ‘tough’.
But Evans still wasn’t convinced and passed on the role of a lifetime.
“Getting the offer felt, to me, like the epitome of temptation,” he said.
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“The ultimate job offer, on the biggest scale.
"I’m supposed to say no to this thing. It felt like the right thing to do. You see the pictures, and you see the costumes, and it’s cool. But I’d now woken up the day after saying no and felt good — twice.”
The studio then enlisted Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jnr. to persuade Evans to accept, telling him that playing Captain America would ‘expand his opportunities as an actor, not constrict them'.
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Finally, Evans accepted when the studio returned with a new offer - a six-movie deal - instead.
However, during the production of the first Avengers film, Evans said that he constantly felt as though he handed over his ‘death warrant’ and made a huge mistake.
“The biggest thing I was worried about was making sh***y f**king movies,” he said.
“I don’t want to make sh**ty movies and be contractually obligated to make garbage.”
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Evans went on to play Steve Rodgers in 11 different Marvel movies from 2011 to 2019.
Recently, in an interview with GQ, Evans admitted that he’s finally putting acting on the back burner to spend more time exploring his hobbies.
“I don’t want to occupy too much space in an industry that I’ve already poured 20 years into,” he told the outlet.
“Sometimes I wonder if I’m lacking some sort of – like, I think I’m a very driven person.
"I have a lot of energy. I wake up early, I get a lot done in a day, but it’s not always focused on acting."
Topics: Film and TV, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers, Chris Evans, Celebrity