Chris Evans' portrayal of Steve Rogers in the Captain America series is the role he is most famous for, but he almost did not take it. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter as part of their Award Chatter podcast, Evans has opened up about his casting in the role, why he almost rejected it, and what convinced him to take up the shield.
Evans recalls playing a superhero, Johnny Storm, in Sony's Fantastic Four movies in 2005 and 2007. As the sequel released, though, he started to suffer from severe anxiety, as he felt that the better movies he was starring in (like Danny Boyle's Sunshine) were flying under the radar. When he experienced panic attacks on the set of 2010's Puncture, he started to worry that acting might not be for him.
When Marvel Studios contacted him about testing for the part of Steve Rogers, and potentially locking into a nine-film deal if he did well, Evans initially declined to come in and test for the part. "My suffering would be my own," he recalls thinking, worrying that his anxiety would grow worse. Although he was offered a modified deal, involving fewer films and more money if he came in for a screen test, Evans continued to turn it down, worrying that the pressure of fame would get the better of him.
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