Chris Evans has addressed Quentin Tarantino’s controversial assessment of the “Marvel-isation of Hollywood”, saying that the esteemed director “is right”.
Last November, the Pulp Fiction director, 60, made headlines when he critiqued the Marvel Universe and the actors that inhabit those roles.
“Part of the Marvel-isation of Hollywood is, you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters, but they’re not movie stars. Captain America is the star,” Tarantino said at the time.
Now, nearly a year later, Captain America himself – Evans, 42, who has starred as the honourable superhero in 11 movies – has agreed with the director’s critical take.
“You know, he’s right. The character is the star. You’re there, but you don’t feel the burden of it,” the Gray Man actor told GQ in a recent interview.
“That was the beauty of working on Marvel films. You never really had to be front and centre. Even in your own films sometimes,” he added. “I would run away from the leading man role every time if I could.”
Referencing Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr, who he says “walks in the room and owns the oxygen”, Evans willingly conceded: “Let him be the lead. Let him have the mic. Let him say the lines.
Chris Evans in Captain America: Civil War— (© Marvel 2016)
“I’m not trying to fit into that box. So if a good supporting role comes along, I’m jumping at it. Just like Knives Out. I’m happy to be in an ensemble. I don’t need to carve out some sort of leading man niche for myself,” he said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Evans discussed his potential future in the industry, revealing that he hasn’t “worked all year and I don’t plan to”.
“I don’t want to occupy too much space in an industry that I’ve already poured 20 years into,” he admitted. “Sometimes reading a script is the last thing I want to do.”
Evans can next be seen starring alongside Emily Blunt in the Netflix original Pain Hustlers, which releases on 20 October, followed by Red One – a Christmas action-adventure, which is expected to release on Prime Video later this year.
Explaining why he chose to star in his latest two films, Evans said that the former was a “no-brainer”.
“It was a role that I was excited to play because it was a real character,” he told GQ. “And then Red One: I’ve just been looking for a Christmas movie my whole career.”
