Chris Evans Agrees With Quentin Tarantino on This Superhero Take

The Big Picture

• Chris Evans never wanted to be the face of anything and felt more comfortable in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where Steve Rogers was the attraction, not himself.
• Quentin Tarantino believes that Marvel films have contributed to the decline of movie stars, with actors becoming famous for playing characters rather than being stars themselves. Evans agrees with this sentiment.
• Evans is content with taking on supporting roles and doesn’t have the desire to be the center of attention. He enjoyed being part of an ensemble cast in Knives Out and doesn’t feel the need to carve out a leading man niche for himself.

Chris Evans took a step back from megastar limelight when he walked away from the role of Captain America in 2019, and it’s not one he particularly misses, as he’s told GQ in a new profile. Known to struggle with anxiety, Evans admitted he never wanted to be seen as “the face” of anything, which is why he felt at home in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he believes that Steve Rogers was the attraction, not himself.

This particular sentiment is one that was also observed by Quentin Tarantino, who feels that Marvel films are part of the reason why “movie stars” are becoming a thing of the past. On a podcast, Tarantino said, “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,” a sentiment to which Evans lended his approval, noting that it had actually helped him in his ability to handle the responsibility of the part.

“That was the beauty of working on Marvel films. You never really had to be front and centre. Even in your own films sometimes. Quentin Tarantino said it recently and I was like, you know, he’s right. The character is the star. You’re there, but you don’t feel the burden of it.”

Let Others Be The Lead

Citing his work since leaving the MCU, Evans noted he was perfectly content to work supporting roles as much as anything, feeling that unlike some of his co-stars, he lacks that ability or desire to be the centre of attention, which is why he was so drawn to the cast of Rian Johnson‘s Knives Out, in which Evans was able to “hide” within an ensemble cast.

“Someone like Robert Downey Jr walks in the room and he owns the oxygen,” Evans said. “He’s just such a presence, such a force. Magnetic in every way. Let him be the lead. Let him have the mic, let him say the lines. Whatever needs to be said. That’s fine. Because as an actor, there’s two sides to the profession, isn’t there?

“There’s the thing you do on set and then the things you do after. And it’s that after stuff that I still struggle with. It’s that after stuff that some people are just phenomenal at and some people are just born to do it. I say: let ’em. 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.”