Being one of the biggest Hollywood stars of recent times due to his Marvel fame, Chris Evans has always been known to have massive anxiety issues. To the point where he even had to go to therapy, to continue living his life normally and pursuing the career he so obviously loves.
However, although the impact of said anxiety has seemed to lessen a little over time, especially with him having to deal with the inevitable fame Captain America brought him, it might still have a strong hold on him.
In an interview recently about his Apple TV+ movie Ghosted with Ana de Armas, while congratulating his co-star about her upcoming SNL hosting gig, he revealed that even the thought of it makes him break out in a cold sweat.
Chris Evans’ fear of joining Saturday Night Live
In a recent interview during the promotion of their upcoming movie Ghosted, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas were asked about their feelings about hosting the famous Saturday Night Live show. While De Armas expressed her obvious excitement at joining the show as a host, Evans revealed that the thought simply terrifies him. He added jokingly, “It makes me sweat just thinking about it.”
Saying he just point blank refuses to think about it, he explained, “I can’t! It’s too much pressure.” His co-star de Armas joined in joking with him by saying, “If you keep saying that, I’m gonna [start to] second guess,” as he was apparently making her nervous. Well, although hosting SNL seems like a lost cause for him, he might be a little more open to the idea of making a cameo appearance during his friend hosting the show.
Although at first, he did say that even the thought of appearing for a cameo made him sweat bullets as “It’s just so nerve-racking!” He went on to reveal that he has “avoided hosting SNL like the plague for years now just because I’m so scared,” and exclaimed his genuine surprise at Ana de Armas actually doing it. However, he seemed to have warmed up a little to the idea as he later said that he can handle a cameo.
Chris Evans almost dropped Captain America because of anxiety
Turns out, Saturday Night Live is not the only opportunity Chris Evans was ready to drop due to anxiety. According to him, he never wanted to become a gigantic movie star, and, “I like to have the option to walk away if I want.” As such, when he was first cast as Captain America in what would develop into billions of dollars worth of franchise, he was apprehensive about it. Especially, as this would require him to sign a six-movie deal, that could span a decade if nothing more.
For an actor slowly establishing himself in the industry, a contract of that magnitude can turn out to be fatal. Especially with his previous bitter experience with Marvel in the Fantastic Four franchise. All of this inevitably added to his anxiety and he was ready to drop it completely.
“I really, for some reason, looked at it as ‘This is the temptation. This is it. This is the fork in the road. And I really want to kind of wake up to my life and take control of it. And I think this is where you say no.’ So, I called my team back and I said, ‘Listen, thank them very much but I think I’m going to say no thanks.'”
Reportedly, he went to therapy after this, as making such a big decision in his life was extremely stressful for him. Thankfully Marvel director Kevin Feige convinced him to take the leap, which turned out to be one of the most successful decisions of his career. It will be interesting to see, if he gets convinced about trying his hand at Saturday Night Live too in the future, or appears for a cameo to dip his toes as he mentioned.
Ghosted is set for an initial release on April 21st, 2023.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
