At 33-years old, Chris Evans is irritated that it took him this long to get around to directing his first film, “Before We Go.” Marvel’s Captain America stars opposite Alice Eve in the romantic drama screening at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.
Evans sat down with TheWrap’s Film Reporter Jeff Sneider to talk about his directorial debut in a special Toronto edition of “Drinking With the Stars,” presented by SodaStream. When the two weren’t distracted talking about their shared love of Boston, the Patriots and fantasy football, Evans revealed what made him finally step behind the camera … while still staying in front of it.
See photos: The Scene at TheWrap’s Toronto Film Fest Video Lounge
“I’ve always wanted to do it, it was just a matter of finding the right time,” Evans said of directing. “When it comes to acting, there’s always another job. Whenever you think, after this I’m gonna take some time and make this happen, then all of a sudden another opportunity arises and you just kind of follow it.”
Finally one day, he decided that the years were getting away from him and it was time to stop saying he was going to do it and just do it already.
See video: 60 Sexiest Seconds of Chris Evans: Captain (Naked) America
Throughout the interview, Evans was affable and charming, proving humble and grateful for all that he’s achieved in his career. Perhaps that has something to do with the inauspicious genesis of his film career. It was in a little film called “Not Another Teen Movie,” which was a parody of … well, we’ll let you figure that out.
The film came out in 2001 when Evans was fresh out of high school. It was part of a series of “Movie” movies that parodied all the different film tropes that start out charming and then become tiresome.
Also read: ‘Snowpiercer’ Review: Chris Evans Thriller Embraces and Rejects Blockbuster Conventions
When asked how he felt about having made it with this role, Evans countered, “I don’t know if I made it. The movie had me stick a banana in my ass. It wasn’t exactly some high brow art.” He added that his friends continued to give him a lot of grief after, saying he was still a terrible actor.
Of course, things have changed since then. Evans is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, and now he’s been accepted into the Toronto International Film Festival with his directorial debut. “It’s intimidating. it’s nerve-wracking, but we’re glad to be up here,” he said of his selection.
See video: What’s the Deal? With Toronto: Jeff Sneider Reviews ‘Nightcrawler,’ ‘The Cobbler,’ ‘Good Kill’
Chris Evans talks about the film in the video above. He remembers his “Not Another Teen Movie” debut below, and talks about how they came up with the name “Before We Go” in the videos below.