Chris Evans wasn’t joking when he said he would really like to take a break from acting after he’s done with his Captain America and Marvel commitments. In fact, the actor, who will be seen in the role again in The Winter Soldier next month, already has his first directing gig lined up.
Earlier this month, Evans told Glamour U.K. that he plans on stepping aside from working in front of the screen. He reiterated that desire in a new interview with Variety Magazine.
“If I’m acting at all, it’s going to be under Marvel contract, or I’m going to be directing,” Evans told Variety. “I can’t see myself pursuing acting strictly outside of what I’m contractually obligated to do.”
Back in 2012, Evans agreed to play Steve Rogers/Captain America for Marvel six times and three of those projects are already completed - 2011’s The First Avenger, 2012’s Marvel’s The Avengers and this year’s The Winter Soldier. He will also be playing the role in Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015 and a third solo movie in 2016. So, it’s not like Evans will be taking that break any time soon.
Still, Evans has already got his taste of directing. He just finished 1:30 Train, which only cost $3 million to make in just 19 days. Evans plays a New York street musician and Alice Eve is a woman who misses the train.
“I’ve known for a while I wanted to direct,” Evans said in the Variety profile. “But (time) never really opens up. There’s another movie to do, there’s another acting job. It just got to a point where I was like, you know what — I have to do this.”
While some actors may consider these big blockbusters just huge paychecks, Evans understands how much they have helped his career. “Without these movies, I wouldn’t be directing,” he admitted. “They gave me enough overseas recognition to greenlight a movie. And if I’m speaking extremely candidly, it’s going to continue to do that for as long as the Marvel contract runs.”
The Winter Soldier opens on April 4.
image courtesy of Variety Magazine