I was invited by Disney to attend this event. All of my expenses were paid, but I promise all opinions are my own.
While at the Captain America Event earlier this month, we had the awesome and exclusive opportunity to interview some of the cast and the directors of the NEW Captain America: Civil War!! This movie hits theaters on May 6 and I’ll just tell yo now that it is a MUST see (a movie review will be posted shortly). Our trip was absolutely fantastic and if you followed along on social media you saw how much fun we had. One of the highlights of the trip was interviewing Captain America himself. His interview was certainly one of a kind and we had a blast! When I think back on the time with Chris Evans, I cannot help but laugh! I am excited to share his interview with you!! You’ll see some exclusive pictures, hear some fun things about producing the movie and see some exclusive pictures from the movie – don’t worry there are no spoilers ;).
We started off the interviews by asking if there are any pranks played on set since it sure looks like they have a lot of fun.
Chris: You know, everyone wants there to be pranks and it’s not so much pranks as it’s just a camaraderie. I think we’re all tired, to be honest. The truth is that you really are there to work. Some movies I’ve done like comedies where everyone is a little more loose there may be some pranks. On these movies there are people who are really there to work and so you don’t want to diminish their experience or disrespect their process. So for the most part on set, you’re not tame but we still have fun. You know when it is just Paul and I on set we’re giggling a lot more and there are certain actors who really are austere in their approach and you really want to respect that. However, off set….. well that is where the real disaster happens.
When you put the costume back on, how do you feel?
Chris: I feel good now, I didn’t in the beginning. In the beginning, it was terrifying. Our brains just naturally go to the most negative thing possible, whenever there is something in front of you, you just focus on the worst possible outcome. So when I began the movie, it was all just like the things that could be wrong and that this could be a mistake. However, over the course of you know five or six movies now it feels great.
It really feels great. You know, the Russo Brothers and Marvel and everyone has made it such a wonderful environment. They’ve proven themselves time and time again to be great filmmakers and now it’s like a point of pride. When you see the suit, you’re excited to get the suit on and you’re very honored and humbled that you get to have some sort of a connection to it. Captain America will live on, a lot longer than I will. So, it is nice to have a little place in its lineage.
This movie is a little darker than the others have been. How does that feel to transition into a darker role?
Chris: It was nice because I think for the most part with Cap, he’s always just a selfless guy. He’s not one of those brooding characters where you can kind of as an audience member connect to his conflict and struggle. He’s very selfless and I think to some degree it can feel boring. His goal has always been doing what other people need. I think in this movie its the first time he kind of did what he wants and that’s a little bit of a departure for him. It’s nice because its motivated by family and Cap woke up seventy years later and everyone he knows is dead. You have Bucky, this one guy who is remaining from the chapter of his life before. You’re pitting his current family with his old family and its like taking the friends you went to high school with with compared to the friends you met in college – its two worlds you got to try and somehow find a way to blend. This is the first time he has said “I’m choosing me, over you.” It’s tough for him but I like that. It gives him a little but of conflict because he can be a little boring.
What was the hardest scene to shoot? The flexing scene with the helicopter?
Chris: My arm, to this day, is not the same. It’s a fake helicopter obviously and we did the first couple things and you’re just holding and then it wasn’t really the helicopter so you’re like faking nothing. You’re like I can….let’s drift the helicopter because its on a rig so they can actually move it. Then they did move it and you actually have to hold on and that’s when I actually did something to my arm. It was a trick scene but those are the best scenes.
It is hard to do scenes with Downey because he’s such a force. He’s so good and he owns the oxygen so he comes into the room and he’s powerful. The spine of the movie is conflict so when you have those scenes it is tough. If you don’t invest in those moments, the conflict is going to be sour and fall flat. So those few scenes that we have where it’s just him and I were really intimidating to make sure you match him. He’s scary but he’s SO good. He’s just good at anything he does. He changes things on the fly so you want to try and keep up so you can hang with him. Those scenes were the most terrifying.
Do you think anyone who is currently on #TeamCap would be a good face off for Captain America in a fight scene?
Chris: Scarlet Witch would be trouble, wouldn’t she? She messes stuff up. She would be a problem. But you know what, we’re lucky to have her because without her you look at Team Iron Man and they have Vision. Even though we all know that Paul Bettany (Vision) is still dangerous on the battlefield but Vision is so wonderful. We would be in trouble without Scarlet Witch though!
Because of your friendship with Bucky, does your friendship with Falcon change in this movie?
Chris: That’s been one of the biggest questions – are you Team Bucky or Team Falcon. It’s tricky because in the comic books one of these guys gets the shield. I don’t know what Marvel is going to do – what a strange thing. I don’t want to give them the shield anyway. It’s a beautiful relationship, you know?! Bucky is the friend from old and Falcon is a friend from today and they’re both great people and characters. I’m just thankful that it is not my decision. Whatever happens, happens!
How do you prepare to play a hundred year old person?
Chris: Well, sometimes I do feel that way. Sometimes I feel like I’m five and five hundred. Sometimes I feel like I’m a toddler and sometimes I feel old. Sometimes I just want to play in the sandbox!
If you could go back in time, and have dinner or a conversation with someone from history, who would it be with?
Chris: It’s tough because I don’t want to get too caught up in pretention. I could say someone like Ghandi or Lincoln. I think I would say JFK, though. I would just be really interested because of those things “The Race to the White House” on CNN right now. I really do think politics is an amazing landscape and it’s a really tricky thing to go into. Imagine being a politician, where you have to back everything you say. You have to be able to be real, you have to be honest, you can’t be so political. You just have to be a plain speaking human. Where politics struggles is when politicians become too political. I think JFK was one of the last guys that felt to me like he’s speaking like a human and it feels like a man talking. It’s a real interesting dichotomy. You know, int his austere position of politician all of the time when the country needed so much and he kind of had to marry so many different challenges. People didn’t really want him to win either, they shot him and I mean in the end they got him. So, to me he is one of the most interesting characters that I can think of, I’ll say JFK.
What were your thoughts when Marvel threatened to boycott Georgia if they passed the Anti-Gay bill?
It was great. I really thought it was great. My younger brother is gay and he was the one sending me these text messages being like good for Disney and it was just a nice thing to read about. Disney spends huge money in Georgia and I’m really proud of them. I was so proud of Disney for standing up to that. They made a statement saying listen this is what we feel and this is what we believe in and look its a hate bill that they were trying to pass, its one of those gray areas where you talk to these people and they’re like well we’re allowed to think what we want. There are still some states that are messing up. I was proud to be a part of the Disney family during that.
As Captain America, you are a favorite superhero to a lot of kids. Who was your favorite one growing up?
I didn’t have one. I had an older sister and I think anyone who has siblings knows. It’s funny – that’s why when I have kids I’d love for my oldest child to be a girl because I think it softens up the boy. My younger brother and I had an older sister and it was pretty much whatever Carly wanted to do we did. So, like My Little Pony and Care Bear and that was it! Just being in Carly’s room was a big deal. When we were in there we would say don’t mess it up, just sit here and play with whatever she gives you to play with. She’d give us the My Little Ponies, the plastic ones and then the fuzzy ones that would give me the willies. We did My Little Pony, Cabbage Patch and Care Bears. I was cool enough to do so. Comic books were not on my radar. I liked Star Wars which was maybe the coolest thing about me but that was my Dad being like PLEASE, PLEASE like Hans Solo and I was like Tender Heart Bear! It’s not untrue, it’s really sad.
The interview with Chris Evans was truly a one of a kind experience! He is so down to earth and funny and was interested in hearing from us too. He answered the questions so well and put his personal spin on it. It was such an awesome experience to sit in the same room and get a picture with THE Captain America.
Captain America: Civil War will be in theaters on May 6. Check out the trailer and stay tuned to This N That with Olivia for more exclusive content including more interviews with the cast and directors as well as a movie review.