Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan interview

CHRIS Evans and Sebastian Stan talk about some of the challenges of making Captain America: The Winter Soldier such as avoiding injuries during the stunts and getting to grips with the decency of the central character. They were speaking at a UK press conference.

Q. Chris, how do you keep Captain America as a good man in this darker, modern world and avoid being corny?
Chris Evans: He just is a good man. It’s about developing a character and hoping he will develop. I don’t think the part of him that’s a good man is necessarily dependent on his environment. He’s just a good person. He has morals and values. Hopefully, you can put him anywhere, whether it’s in the ‘40s or in the modern day, or a period film or a gritty thriller. Hopefully, the qualities of who he is will still shine through.

Q. Did either of you pick up any injuries filming this one? There’s a lot of action…
Chris Evans: There’s always injuries, whether you end up in a cast or not. Doing stunt-work is physical stuff. Even when you block a punch, that punch has to land somewhere. So, you’re always picking up bumps and bruises and we’re all getting older, so it has lasting effects.

Q. Anything in particular?
Chris Evans: In particular? Yeah! Any fight with Frank Grillo [laughs]! The guy doesn’t know how to pull his punches! If you don’t block Frank Grillo’s punch he’ll knock you out. He’s a boxer and he doesn’t know anything but 100%.

And Sebastian?
Sebastian Stan: I thought I got pretty familiar with Chris [Evans]’s knee-cap once or twice. We were doing everything so quickly and we prepared for months doing those fight sequences. So, I honestly didn’t realise how much I hurt until I was in the car on the way home and I couldn’t get out of the seat once I got to the hotel!

Q. Captain America is going to go up against Superman versus Batman next time around. Have you any plans to up the ante and will you be introducing any new super characters?
Chris Evans: All we can do is focus on making the best movie that we can make – when and how it gets released… there’s other forces involved.

Q. Who is your hero in real-life?
Chris Evans: I mean it’s so generic but I’ll say my parents. I mean, they’re your first… they’re the ones who shape you and make you and teach you how to love and feel pain and happiness and cope. It’s everything from birth until your teenage years – that’s when you’re really forming who you are. So, I really have to tip my hat to my parents. They’re my heroes.

Sebastian Stan: Well, my mum definitely. And I think probably Jim Carrey. I was obsessed with Jim Carrey growing up. It’s why I wanted to become an actor.