Interview with Captain America AKA Chris Evans

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My husband is a huge geek.  He loves all things comic book, sci-fi, and uber weird.  That said, having married into geek, I know more then I ever thought I would about superheros and the origins thereof.  Normally I can take or leave these movies, but having seen this one (thoughts on that later) I can tell you that the latest Captain America movie is really awesome.  Like actually awesome- I think you will like it a whole lot even if you don’t like superhero movies.  If you do- well, bring an extra pair of pants, you are going to mess yourself.

Having recently gotten to interview Captain America, AKA Chris Evans, about his role and his character (and his thoughts on both), I thought I would share a snippet with you all today.

Here are some of the interview highlights:

Question- What qualities in Captain America do you find in yourself?

Chris Evans: Aww, how do you answer that question? He’s such a good guy. All right, what do I find in myself? I think he’s always trying to do better. I don’t think I’m as good of a man as he is, but I think as good of a man as he is, he’s always trying to improve. So the one thing I am working towards on a daily basis is just trying to find ways to evolve.

Question- Do you find that a character like Captain America plays like a role model?

Chris Evans: Oh, completely. There’s a kid that I grew up with named Charlie. Charlie Morris. He’s like, the best kid I know. He was an Eagle scout. And being an Eagle scout is not easy; you’ve got to really do it for a long time. But he’s just such a good man, and he genuinely, genuinely puts himself last. He does the right thing even when no one else is watching. He lives by a code.

And so when I took the role, I told Charlie, “Listen. I’m modeling this after you.” And it’s such a great character to aspire to be.

Question- What was it like seeing yourself as Captain America for the first time?

Chris Evans: Terrifying. I think the first time I saw it was back when I was still pretty insecure and a little apprehensive about taking the role. So, it was a real dichotomy. There was simultaneous joy, but at the same time, a deep fear. That’s eroded over time, and now it’s very familiar. It feels very comfortable. It feels great now, and damn, if I had said no, I would have been the biggest fool on the planet.

Question- If you had a second choice for a superhero role, who would you choose?

Chris Evans: You know, I’ll say it: I miss Johnny Storm. I liked the Human Torch. He was a fun guy to play. I liked, you know, I would say someone like Iron Man, but no one can touch Robert Downey Jr. It’s fun to play someone with life. It’s fun to play someone who enjoys embracing their abilities, and Johnny Storm was a lot of fun to play. And that costume was comfy. It was like a wetsuit. It was perfect.

Question- How many different shields did you use during filming and did they let you take any home?

Chris Evans: Yeah. They did. They gave me one. There’s probably like, four or five different shields. There’s the one shield that’s heavy and ridiculous, and you know, that’s just for show. Then every now and then if you gotta hit somebody, you get this kind of fiberglass shield. And if you have to throw it, you get a foam shield. But there’s a bunch of different shields but they did send me one.

Question- Where is it?

Chris Evans: It’s sitting in my house. It usually comes out after everyone’s had a few drinks. Photo shoots happen.

Question- What was your most memorable moment during filming?

Chris Evans: When I saw Robert Redford walk in the door. Everyone was nervous that day. Everybody was scared. There was a whole buzz on the whole set. But it’s Robert Redford. You know. I grew up watching this guy. He is a living legend. So it was intimidating. It was exciting. It was rewarding. It was surreal.

Question- With the fighting styles, what was your preparation like with the martial arts? Are you comfortable with it?

Chris Evans: Comfortable now. In the beginning it’s a tricky process, and it’s tough realizing you’re not good at things ight away. You just want to be like, “I can do that,” and then you’re awful and you’re like, “I guess I can’t do that.”

In between the first Captain America movie and the Avengers, I had played the Captain America video game. I’m not really a video game guy. But someone handed me the controller, and I was playing, and the way Cap moves in the video game, there’s a fluidity and it’s very acrobatic.

It’s very aerial. He uses his environment, and it’s almost this beautiful, smooth dance, and when I first met with the [directors, the] Russos, I said, “Have you played the video game?” And I swear to God, they said: “You know what? We referenced the video game, too.” I said, “Good, good, we’re on the same page. But that means we need to incorporate a little bit more of an acrobatic approach to fighting.” And so we put myself in gymnastic classes, which is something I always wanted to do, kind of, anyway. [LAUGHS] I mean, I wanted to go play on like, the balance beam, but it was more like tumbling, essentially. Parkour-style gymnastic stuff. Flipping, and spinning, and just kind of getting a sense of your body in the air. So we did about two months of that. We did two months, a few hours, each day, and it was invaluable. It really lends itself to a lot of those fight scenes.

Question- How is it working with Anthony “The Falcon” Mackie?

Chris Evans: Did anyone see the press conference? I mean, he’s fantastic. Is he gonna come in here at some point? [LAUGHS] I can’t wait. I want to be in the audience! He’s great. I really like him.

Him and I, we’re very similar people, and this is my third movie with Mackie, you know? We’ve done, outside of the Marvel Universe, we’ve done a couple of things together, and the first time I met him wasn’t even on a film set. We met out one night, and just you know, kind of got along, right away. He just has this innate energy.

Movies can be extremely tedious and tiresome, and I have never seen him drag on a film set. He comes to set, and immediately has an energy, and everybody is smiling and laughing. And, you know, certain days when he’s not there, you’re like, “Why? Why is this day awful? Mackie is not here! Where’s Mackie?” He’s just a ball of energy, and you know, he’s just a very optimistic person. And it’s infectious.

Captain America The Winter Soldier is in theaters April 4, 2014- just a few days away, get your tickets online now or you might have quite a wait for this one.