Evans: I didn’t want to drown as a director

Chris Evans didn’t want to “drown” in his directorial debut, Before We Go.

The Captain America star not only helms the production but he also plays the lead role alongside Alice Eve. Dual duties are a lot for any actor to take on, but for a first-timer, Chris had extra pressure on his shoulders.

“The one thing I didn’t want to have happen is drown,” he told USA Today. “If it’s your first time in the kitchen, you’re not going to try and whip up a soufflé. You don’t want to burn the house down.”

Chris plays Nick, a man who befriends Alice’s character Brooke, who is a Boston woman stranded in Manhattan on a long, wintry night. While the character was easy to get into, the 34-year-old found it hard not being able to sit back and watch the action unfold.

“When you wanted to be in the actual director’s chair, watching the scene come to life on a monitor, you didn’t quite get that luxury,” he said. “Acting is still the first passion, but as the director, you have so much input and you really get to pull all those strings.”

One thing out of Chris’ control was the New York weather. The movie takes place between 1.30am and 6am and filming took place in December, running the risk of hazardous atmospheric conditions.

“Every day you’re just praying we don’t get snow. Since the whole thing happens in one night, you can’t have one scene with no snow and the next with three feet,” he explained. “Every struggle and hurdle this movie presented, I’m glad I got it. Had it not happened, I’d be walking onto the second one just as blind. I’d rather get my bumps and bruises the first time out.”

Chris will soon be seen again as his Marvel hero Captain America. And having been on the other side of the camera, he has renewed respect for directors who take on blockbuster action movies that feature high-tech stunts and effects.

“It’s unbelievable,” he admitted. “Even in my little nothing movie, we did four weeks of prep — the prep almost killed me!”