hollie ottman: Chris Evans Reveals He Said 'No Thanks' To 'Captain America'

Actor was pursued for role, he tells Josh Horowitz on 'MTV First: Captain America.'
By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Chris Evans
Photo: MTV News

Captain America was the role that seemingly every actor in Hollywood but Chris Evans wanted to play.

The actor opens up to MTV's Josh Horowitz Thursday night (July 14) during "MTV First: Captain America," saying that the decision to join up as a Marvel Avenger was not an easy one. Still, director Joe Johnston and producer Kevin Feige were persistent, and knew they wanted Evans so badly that they never even made him audition for the role.

"I got a call and they said they want me to audition, and I said, 'Great!' And then I thought about it and I said, 'No thanks.' And then they called back and they said, 'Well, they want you to test,' and testing is basically they'll draw up a contract, and if you're testing then you're only testing with a couple other guys and the odds of walking away with it drastically increase. And again I just said, 'I think I'm good. This isn't really what I'm looking for,' " Evans explained.

But even after he turned the contract down twice, it was clear that the studio still wanted him. Marvel was willing to negotiate with Evans and bring the intended nine-picture deal down to only six, and after meeting with Johnston and Feige, Evans said he was willing to give the character a shot.

"It just seemed like the more I walked away the more they pursued," he admitted.

This is not the first time Evans has told MTV News that he felt uncomfortable taking on the commitment and fame that would come with "Captain America: The First Avenger." During MTV News' live stream at San Diego Comic-Con last year, Evans said that taking the role "wasn't an easy yes."

"[Playing] Captain America just changes things, and there's really no off switch once you walk down that road," Evans said. "There's no turning back now. I'm just trying to make all the negatives positives and just enjoy the ride."

Check out everything we've got on "Captain America: The First Avenger."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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