For years, Chris Evans has been known by fans for playing Captain America, the shield-fighting leader of The Avengers. He officially got the role back in 2010 and went on to star in Captain America: The First Avenger, which introduced audiences to World War II super-soldier Steve Rogers. However, Evans said landing this part was “against type” for him. Taking a look back at his past filmography, those words are genuine.
Captain America is considered a brave man who believes in doing the right thing for his country and the people he cares about. Recently speaking with GQ, Chris Evans noted that it was a role different from anything else he was used to playing. Said the MCU star,
I think, if anything, playing Captain America was slightly against type.
Captain America is a symbol of bravery and fortitude, and upon reflection the part was a vacation for Chris Evans. Throughout his career, he’s made it a habit to play characters that come off as assholes or selfish. To get a good idea of what I’m talking about, here are examples of when Evans has played jerk characters worthy of a slap:
Fantastic Four (Johnny Storm)
Chris Evans’ entrance into the superhero genre actually didn’t start with Captain America. He first played Johnny Storm a.k.a. The Human Torch in two Fantastic Four movies. While Johnny ultimately uses his “flame on” powers for the good of humanity, he first has ideas of fame, money, and girls. After he and the Fantastic Four save civilians during a Brooklyn Bridge collapse, he is quick to publicly expose himself and his team despite their wishes to keep a low profile. Plus, Johnny doesn’t receive points for constantly mocking Ben after turning into The Thing. The Human Torch gets better over the course of the two movies, but he still proves himself to be the ego case of the hero quartet.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (Lucas Lee)
In order to date his current girlfriend, Ramona, Scott Pilgrim must fight seven of her exes. One of those evil ex-flames happens to be played by Chris Evans. The actor plays Lucas Lee: an extreme, egotistic big screen action star. As we find out in the movie, Lee became a blockbuster star years after his romance with Ramona, and Evans brings high levels of narcissism and pronounced eyebrows you can’t look away from playing the cartoonish character.
What’s Your Number? (Colin Shea)
In the Anna Faris-led rom-com What’s Your Number, the protagonist enlists the help of her womanizer neighbor, Colin (Evans) to track down her many exes to see if she still has a chance with any of them. The playboy persona comes out yet again in Evans’ character – but despite how much Colin may turn us off, we still want to see him and Ally end up together due to the amazing chemistry between Evans and Faris.
Knives Out (Hugh "Ransom" Drysdale)
Another memorable performance from Chris Evans – this one arriving post-Captain America – is Knives Out, where the actors plays Hugh “Ransom” Drysdale. Stylish sweaters don't stop this eccentric black sheep from being the movie’s main antagonist, as we discover that he is responsible for the death of his grandfather. Evans said he did some “begging” in order to land this role, as he knew exactly what he wanted to bring into it. After playing a superhero for quite some time, it’s understandable why he would want to have some fun playing this villainous part.
The Gray Man (Lloyd Hansen)
In the Netflix action thriller The Gray Man, Chris Evans plays Lloyd Hansen, who is a far cry away from Captain America. This former CIA agent (who got kicked out for his sociopathic tendencies) is an antagonist to Ryan Gosling’s Sierra Six, who threatens to expose the agency’s dark secrets. The Lightyear actor has said his character is such a great villain for fearing “his smile more than his scowl.” When this mercenary's mustache twitches, we know there's trouble ahead for Sierra Six.
Now that Chris Evans’ Captain America days are over, he has the freedom to take on diverse roles. His days of playing “asshole” characters aren’t through yet, as he's a part of the new Netflix movie Pain Hustlers playing a fast-talking opioid salesman with a deep fascination with strip clubs and his own personal form of ethics. It proves that the 42-year-old actor is incredibly gifted for being able to take on any role even if it's "against type." Be sure to catch Pain Hustlers in select theaters on October 20 and streaming with your Netflix subscription on October 27.
