Why Captain America Star Chris Evans Initially Turned Down the Role

Marvel's films are so well cast that it's hard to imagine any other actors playing them, but Captain America star Chris Evans has revealed that he initially turned the role down.

In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote Captain America: Civil War, Evans explained that the daunting multi-film contract he was asked to sign was a "scary" proposition.

"I was scared," he admitted. "At first it was some nine-picture contract, and there are parts of me that have a little bit of social anxiety with this industry and doing movies one at a time, if all the sudden you decide you don't want to do them anymore, you're afforded the opportunity to take a step back and recalibrate.

"When you have a giant contract, if all the sudden you're not responding well, too bad, you've got to suit up again, and that was scary.

"[But] it kept coming back my way. I said no a few times, and it kept coming back, and I talked to a few people in my life, family, and friends, and it just started to kind of make sense that I was saying no out of fear, really, and you can't do anything out of fear."

Evans has previously spoken about his desire to quit acting and focus on directing. In 2014 he told Variety: "If I'm acting at all, it's going to be under Marvel contract, or I'm going to be directing. I can't see myself pursuing acting strictly outside of what I'm contractually obligated to do."

Captain America: Civil War hits cinemas on May 6, 2016. Two new clips from the film have been released this week--the first reveals the villainous Crossbones, while the latest shows Ant-Man joining Cap's team.