It’s probably way too early for most of you to even consider thinking about the 2023 holiday season, but this year will see a pretty special event, as that’s when everyone with an Amazon Prime subscription will be able to watch the new Christmas movie, Red One. The film will, for the first time, bring together the considerable talent and box office powers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Chris Evans, and the action comedy wrapped production back in February. Now, the former Captain America has admitted to being quite pleased that The Rock thought of him for the movie, while also revealing an amusing concern he had about starring in it.
Why Was Chris Evans So Happy About Starring In Red One?
Obviously, the Knives Out star has led a number of movies in his two-plus decade career, many of which are some of the most beloved money-makers of the modern day. Even though he’s been in films that cross a number of different genres, one thing he’s never done is worked on a bonafide Christmas movie, and he recently told the crowd at the C2E2 expo (via ComicBook.com) that that was a big factor in him wanting to do this new film:
I've been in this industry for too long, but I've never seen a Christmas movie come across my lap. It's never been on my radar. They happen. They're occasional. But it's never been something that's come my way. So the fact that this one popped up, I was like 'I can't say no to this. I just can't.' And Dwayne is just unbelievable. He's such a nice guy. He's incredible at what he does actually, he's so funny. He's really charming and really knows. What [he] knows, he's great at it and does it really, really well. And Jake Kasdan, the director, is just fantastic and the script is really funny. I just was like, I gotta take this opportunity. And it was fantastic. It was one of the best working experiences I ever had.
I think everyone who celebrates Christmas probably has a favorite movie about or at least set during the season. For some people it’s family fare such as A Muppet Christmas Carol, for others it’s something more ribald, like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and for other people it would be the film that’s been the subject of a Christmas movie debate for decades: Die Hard.
But, the fact is that these movies become classics that people watch yearly for a reason. There might be a lot of Christmas movies, but we simply don’t get new ones that speak to us all the time. So, along with wanting to work with The Rock and Kasdan, it makes sense that the star of another upcoming action comedy, Ghosted, would feel compelled to take on the task of trying to make a new holiday classic. Speaking of how these are often the films that people rely on year after year to get them feeling the holiday spirit, that was actually part of Evans’ one funny concern about starring in the project.
Why Was Chris Evans Concerned About Starring In Red One?
I’ll just let the new Christmas movie star explain this one, seeing as how he did it perfectly for those assembled at his panel:
I actually was worried 'Is this gonna ruin Christmas for me?' because it's so special. 'Do I really want to see my mug every Christmas?' But I'm telling you, every day was Christmas, and when it wrapped I was like 'Aww.' Believe me, I couldn't get enough of it. So yeah, it was a great decision.
Most folks don’t really understand what it’s like to be faced with your own “mug” on a regular basis like actors do, as anytime they turn on the TV they could come across a movie or show of theirs. This would seem to be especially prevalent should one star in a holiday film, however. If you happen to star in one that becomes a classic, it will automatically play somewhere every year, between November and December, while you’re trying to go about enjoying the special season.
While Evans had a bit of trepidation about this becoming a possibility with Red One, it sounds like he’s really glad he didn’t let it stop him, and come this year’s holiday season, I bet most of his fans will feel the same.
