Credit: Universal PicturesChris Evans, Captain America himself, says that one of the world’s most acclaimed directors told him he would be perfect as a terrible, vacant actor.
Chris Evans rocketed to global fame when he was cast as Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he had been a burgeoning star for years before that. Notably, he starred as an entirely different Marvel hero in the Fox Fantastic Four movies, Johnny Storm, AKA the Human Torch, as well as voicing the hockey-stick-wielding vigilante Casey Jones in the animated movie TMNT (2007).
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One of his most famous pre-Marvel roles was in the cult movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), director Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s acclaimed graphic novel series. Unlike his more heroic roles, Chris Evans featured as an egotistical action movie star named Lucas Lee, who does battle to the death with Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) over the heart of Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).
According to a recent interview with GQ, Chris Evans was cast as one of Scott Pilgrim‘s League of Evil Exes because, basically, Edgar Wright felt that he was really convincing as a bad actor who thought he was much smarter than he actually was.
As Chris Evans put it, the director told him, “The pitch for Scott Pilgrim was so strange but [Edgar Wright] kind of said, ‘Lucas Lee is this movie star but he really doesn’t have much range and he thinks he’s great but he’s actually terrible and I think you’d be perfect.’ I said, ‘Okay’.”
It probably is a bit of a weird feeling to be told you are perfect for playing someone who is defined by kind of being a dumb, narcissistic jerk, but thankfully, it seems that Chris Evans could get on board with that characterization.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World starred Michael Cera as the title character, a Toronto bass player and romantic who finds himself having to battle the evil exes of his dream girl Ramona while also hopefully learning how to be a better person. In addition to Cera and Chris Evans, the movie featured an absurdly stacked cast of character actors, including Brie Larson, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Kieran Culkin, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, and many more.
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While the movie is now considered a high-water mark of comic book adaptations, it underperformed on its first release and sank at the box office. Since then, Scott Pilgrim has increasingly been reclaimed as a visually innovative alternative to the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which would eventually feature a disproportionate number of its cast.
However, the love for Scott Pilgrim seems to be lasting, as a new anime-style animated reboot is coming to Netflix, featuring the original cast of the movie reprising their roles. It seems Chris Evans isn’t tired of portraying a jerk yet.
Do you think Chris Evans was well-cast in Scott Pilgrim? Will you watch the Netflix reboot? Let us know in the comments below!