From obscurity to saving the world, here’s what you need to know about Chris Evans

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Full name Christopher
Robert Evans
Born 13 June 1981
Star sign Gemini
Favourite music Classic rock

Chris Evans got his first taste of acting attending youth theatre with his three siblings and starring in school plays.

From there it wasn’t too long before he landed his first commercial.

After high school, he decided to take a year off and moved to New York to see if he could make it as an actor. It didn’t take him long to land a role in Not Another Teen Movie, which was quickly followed by The Perfect Score and Cellular.

He also dated Jessica Biel for two years with relative anonymity, starred in the hit film Fantastic Four opposite Jessica Alba and enjoyed critical acclaim for his role in Sunshine. Then came the movie that cemented his status as a male lead – Captain America: The First Avenger.

This year you can catch him in the romcom What’s Your Number? and the action blockbuster everybody’s waiting for, The Avengers.

Bulking up to save the US
‘I don’t think my body is supposed to be as big as it was for Captain America. There was a strain on some joints. After a month and a half of training, I found my right shoulder would click and my left pec would hurt. It was an ever-evolving workout, in which we always found ways to work around the parts of me that were sore. There are certain things that hurt more than others. But that seems to be pretty universal. Every guy I know has some sort of freak injury in his body.’

Exercise in general
‘I’m a big fan of working out on my own. I just put on my headphones. I’m good at self-motivation. Once I’m there and I get going, I tend to love it and I feel good. If I don’t work out for a couple of days, I feel lousy.’

Being hit on
‘If I’m in a club, women are a bit bolder. But if I’m walking down the street then people leave me alone. I don’t actually have any crazy fans.’

Mortal combat
‘The scariest stuff isn’t the things you think it would be – the jumps and explosions, all of those things. It’s actually the fight sequences, the hand-to-hand combat. To make it look like you’re fighting, you have to fight a lot of the time. And going up against these other big guys can be quite scary.’

Being in the public eye
‘It’s very difficult for me to talk about myself. You feel strange, self-aware, foolish. Your third eye clicks on, just to try to maintain a healthy sense of perspective, and you think, “What am I doing here? I’m just making a movie, and people want all these things from me”. It seems strange to have so much fuss over a film.’

Relaxing on set
‘I usually have a lot of friends with me. When you’re drained like that, it’s good to feel normal as much as possible, and I can only really do that when my friends from home are around. So we just hang out in the brief moments we can. It takes away a lot of the strain.’

Ups and downs of fame
‘It’s great because you can support your family. There’s no greater feeling than taking care of the people you love. But the compromise is that you can’t lead a private lifestyle any more.’

Ladies, he’s single, but…
‘I’d have to see how you got on with my dog, East. He’s an American bulldog so he’s big. You have to be able to rough and tumble with him. Then we’d go for a walk. It doesn’t need to be a hike, I don’t want to break a sweat. Or maybe bowling or ice skating. I don’t like dinner dates – I’d rather do something on our feet. I love women who smell good. But I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe fruity? Is that a description?’