Kaiser covered last night’s Avengers: Age of Ultron UK premiere, but I’m covering Chris Evans by himself because he’s special. And I need to talk some stuff out. There’s a new Chris around town, and I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Lainey noted his newfound confidence and swagger on the Oscars red carpet. Remember, this is a guy who once panicked and ran out of a Fanastic Four press conference. Once he became Captain America, he went into therapy and flirted with a meltdown. He visibly struggled for years, and then he nailed the PR tour at TIFF when he sold his first directorial effort. Icing on the cake: Chris revealed himself as a really nice guy who loves children and Betty White.
Now Chris is acting strange during the Ultron tour. He’s not doing solo, in-depth interviews because he tends to whine and threaten to retire. Marvel just wants him to be himself. And Chris being himself turns out to be …. a drunkface. Searching for “Chris Evans drunk” on Twitter reveals many embarrassing photos from this tour.
CHRIS EVANS IS SO DRUNK SOMEONE TELL HIM TO SIT DOWN pic.twitter.com/Tui8rO6J0y
— han barton (@CLlNTONBARTON) April 14, 2015
On a scale of “drunk” to “#YOLO” how drunk has Chris Evans been for the ENTIRE Age of Ultron junket.
— slashreport (@slashreport) April 22, 2015
During the past few weeks, Evans has swayed on the red carpet and petted a microphone. He couldn’t stop laughing during a visit to Jimmy Kimmel. Last night, he “honked” ScarJo’s nose (picture here). He and Chris Hemsworth were buddied up for taped segments. They did a cute bit where they ate Captain America Doritos (because Evans is a total Dorito). Then there was a very awkward interview where Evans told a journo he made out with his mom. Not cute or nice at all.
What I want to know is this — what is responsible for this newly brash and sassy Chris? Maybe he’s ignited by love for new girlfriend Lily Collins. Nah. There’s something else going on. Chris really, really loves Marvel now. He told Singapore’s Today that he can’t believe Marvel movies aren’t nominated for Oscars: “What is required to make these movies work is a mind blowing accomplishment of art! It really is! It’s everything the Academy should stand for. And I, for one, am disappointed more often than not when films like this aren’t acknowledged. It’s a shame.” Will the real Chris Evans please stand up?
Photos courtesy of Getty, Pacific Coast News, Fame/Flynet & WENN
Vin Diesel out of this body !
Right? I’m waiting for Channing Tatum to declare “Magic Mike” Oscar worthy.
I came here to say he IS the vin diesel of this marvel franchise + the neurosis.
But Vin Diesel is the Vin Diesel of Marvel. He is Groot.
Lol, Lilac! Bed head “stole” my reply!
But let’s not pretend marvel is not using fast and furious franchise strategies for a while now… Even Bryan Tyler who is working with FF since 2006 is the soundtrack director for ironman 3, thor the dark world and AOU.
We are Groot.
*tearing up* yes we are
Maybe he is self-medicating with alcohol to calm his nerves and shyness? I did that in college. It’s not a good plan, and leads to many hungover mornings where memories suddenly pop up and you think, please, no, tell me I didn’t say that…
That’s exactly what I was thinking, he might be bombed all the time because he feels like it’s the only way he can get through such a massive press tour? It definitely isn’t a good plan, if that is what he’s doing.
And remember his last press fail? When he said he wanted to quit acting?
I totally buy this.
Either self medicating with alcohol, or a bad combination of anti anxiety meds with a beer chaser.
id rather have him all shy again 🙁
Exactly. If his anxiety is so bad he needs professional help. Maybe some behavioral therapy and legit meds. He needs to talk to Marvel about it and come up with a solution that doesn’t involve getting an addiction in order to do his job.
My thoughts as well; such a good guy in a generally stank-pool-of-swill industry. I hope he can get it together for his own sake and those who love him.
I totally did the same. Bought me a ton of bad decisions and a lingering feeling that I can’t relax without some sort of mind-altering substance. Not good.
GNAT – yup, that was my first thought, too 🙁 I think he’s self-medicating with alcohol. They’re doing A LOT of promotion for a movie already expected to do well. And while I think they’re smart to send him to London with his brother (not pictured here) and to have him doing promotion with Hemsworth and the others I don’t think it’s enough.
And I wonder if all the ‘rah rah’ marvel stuff is because it’s been rumored they’re looking to sign him for more movies and that he’s not totally adverse to it?
I’ll take this Chris over the I’m about to jump in a dumpster and hide because I’m so neurotic Chris. He seems really fun tbh.
Same, I’m enjoying this Chris a lot.
To be fair, if Gladiator can win an Oscar, he has a point. At some point, in the past five-ten years, the academy has moved away from recognizing well-produced Hollywood movies to rewarding WORTHY films that only resonates with a small population of movie goers. If the movie is well-executed and entertains, it’s a good movie.
(Also, a perpetually drunk, hot mess is my kind of man)
Gladiator was an amazing movie AND entertaining. Marvel movies are shitty and horrible and have bad scripts AND entertaining. One should win an Oscar.
Gladiator was a cheesy-as-hell script, carried by some stellar across and some beautiful cinematography. I’m not saying that the Avengers is Oscar-worthy, but his larger point is valid.
And, speaking of hot, drunk messes, let’s all take a moment and remember how smoking hot Russell Crowe was in his prime.
I think there’s a point there, too. But the problem for the Marvel movies is the paucity of storytelling. I guess both are missing a single important ingredient. In the case of the worthy films, it’s mass/mainstream appeal.
God, Russell Crowe in Gladiator made me shiver, he was so hot……..and then, he was not…Maximus Decimus Meridius, what happend to you…
*waves at Sixer*
Hallo, lovely,
Well, Whedon has a house style, and it’s not my cup of tea, personally. The movie reminded me of the Lethal Weapon series, that coasted by on charisma and a sense of fun.
But many “classic” movies are appallingly written, and won oscars. It’s our nostalgia that has elevated them to the status of art.
Hello darling. I miss you.
Absolutely. I agree. There’s a similarly ongoing debate between literary and genre fiction, isn’t there? And of course, it’s partly classist.
Honking for Gladiator. Crowe in his prime was HAWT.
I still like Russell. Don’t care if he’s Chubby and beardy. His performance in Gladiator burnt up the screen. I suppose the Avengers is such an ensemble piece that it’s difficult for one person to dominate In the way Russell did – tho of course there were other great performances in Gladiator, like Joachim Pheonix. Don’t get the CaptainSexy thing, he’s Ok but just ok. But I like the marvel films, not great art but not everything has to be.
Anne Tommy, I didn’t get The Cap’s appeal until I saw Winter Soldier.
Marvel films do get nominated for set design and visual effects, which is part of what makes a movie watchable, so he does have a point about that.
Marvel films get nominated for the things they do well, like special effects and sound design and set design. That’s about right, in my opinion. They’re never going to set the world on fire in the script or acting department.
Hush, Gladiator was awesome! Will forever love that film.
Oh, I *love* Gladiator, too. But if that movie came out today, there is no way Crowe would even get a nomination.
All I’m saying is that action is a genre with a lot of specific demands. Executing it well requires precision and technique. That should be considered as part of the overall substance of a good movie, not just digital/technical skill.
Of course, now that I’ve said all of this, I will probably watch Age of Ultron next week and think it sucks.
Gladiator isn’t a straight action movie, there’s plenty of drama, so I think he’d get nominated. The thing that helped him win, though, was not winning for The Insider the year before.
Also, there’s such an anti-Marvel sentiment in the Academy they won’t even award them the VFX Oscar. Guardians of the Galaxy totally should have won for last year, and I think Iron Man 3 deserved it, too, but the Academy has a hate-on for Marvel. They don’t like blockbusters in general, they *hate* Marvel in specific. (They think Marvel is “ruining” cinema, but since it’s practically the only thing getting people into theaters regularly, this is not true.) So Chris is kind of making, in his drunky way, a legitimate point that they *should* be taken more seriously.
I completely disagree @Algernon, the Marvel movies haven’t won the technical Oscars because they haven’t been deserving. Guardians of the Galaxy over Interstellar for VFX? Not a chance? Iron Man 3 over Gravity? No way. This isn’t about the best movie ( Guardians was amazing!!!) but about technical merits. Marvel movies are very cartoony-looking. Great for comic book movies but not nearly the visual quality of those other films.
My huz and I thought Guardians was the worst Marvel movie of the past few years. We turned it off 3/4 of the way through, it was so cheeseball.
@ Mia
Okay, I do agree, Interstellar deserved it, *as well.* Either one was a worthy option, but GOTG was never part of the conversation. Everyone knew it didn’t stand a chance at actually winning. Nominations are as far as Marvel will be allowed to go, and even then, only for techie awards. I also forgot Gravity and Iron Man 3 were the same year. But again, if you pay attention to the Oscar races, it’s abundantly clear superhero stuff will not be allowed to be real contenders, especially if it’s from Marvel.
Maybe a few drinks was the secret to his better PR handling, and now it’s gone too far?
The Marvel stuff gets nominations – special effects, sound, etc. Technical awards. I think a few actors need to stop declaring that their action franchise should be winning Best Picture or something.
Personally, I think ‘drunk in public, on the job’ IS the meltdown. How much lower can you go?
I agree w/ you about Marvel movies, yet I think that Marvel is building a narrative and creating a talking point. Since the Oscar voters are not this intellectual gotha of tastemakers, a few years (say, 5) of drumming up ‘Marvel AAART Oscarssssss’ and they might get one
My husband Chris clearly misses me. But both my secret, imaginary husbands know how to rock a suit. Finish the tour and come home, Christopher. Attend a few Sox games, do a few hospital charity events, clear the winter debris out of the yard, then back to filming Captain America 3 you go.
He’s obviously drowning his sorrows of being apart from you. Maybe you should give him a call and cheer him up?
I called but they seem to have mixed up their phones on the tour and first, I got Renner and then I got Ruffalo. If Bettany answers the next try, I’m stopping there and Chris can fend for himself, without me or his phone, until he gets home
Lilac, your other huz has some suit-rockin’ competition with Bettany.
I’d rather he was drinking to get through the press junkets than taking coke as his preferred coping mechanism, which has been the rumour for years. Also, let’s face it, drunk Chris Evans is like when you pick up your golden lab from the vets before the anaesthetic has worn off. Yes, he’s running into walls and peeing everywhere, but it’s still kind of cute.
Yeah, because replacing one addictive substance for another is such a good idea. You do know that even though alcohol is considered a socially acceptable drug that it’s still addicting, right?
Absolutely (come from a family of alcoholics myself). Perhaps I should have been clearer – Evans is known for being a heavy drinker anyway so the coke was more as well rather than instead. Not that drinking is all yay good, but it’s better than drinking plus a coke addiction.
He’s on something probably. Alcohol or drugs or just good ol’ over the counter meds for the nerves,
I wonder if he wasn’t so well liked if his drunkenness while promoting a multi-million dollar movie would be considered unprofessional, instead of being overlooked, excused, or even thought of as an attractive feature to have.
Remember drunk Ben Affleck in press junket https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NMq6xDHBKwQ
oh dear lord! hahahaha
Exactly Jinni. Some other celebs wouldn’t be getting the free pass like he is. I definitely think his comments are coming from his choice of self medication. Marvel movies are just not going to win major Oscars outside of the technical ones. The Oscars just don’t roll like that.
True. People are quick to defend his behavior as “awww, he’s just nervous and coping with it.” I’m not saying he needs to be on his best behavior, or uphold the Steve Rogers personality, but this whole press tour with him has me rolling my eyes… I guess I don’t find drunks cute. Or calling female characters “wh*res” admirable. Chris is giving me uber douche vibes. He’s right up there with Renner and Downey.
Yikes! Who did he call a wh*re?
I just saw the video of him and Renner. Even though they were “joking” it was still gross and it’s so pathetic seeing Chris Evans fangirls trying to defend their ~cinnamon roll~ or wtf it is they call him.
Just heard about the “wh*re” comment he and Renner made about Black Widow’s character. Wow, I wonder if he’ll be called out about that or will it be swept under the rug.
Don’t get me wrong. I think the reaction to the wh*re and sl*t comments are a bit overdramatic. They were commenting on the fandom and how Black Widow is “shipped” with pretty much every character. Sometimes the fandom goes way too far with their fanfic and “ships”. All in all, it is ridiculous. Renner and Evans were clearly being sarcastic over fiction that fans create (like, that’s okay?), but it came off as offensive towards a female character. Their choice of words is disappointing. That’s all.
If you’re including my comment and the responses in this, I think you’re slightly misrepresenting the attitude. I think it’s a matter for concern if he’s self-medicating, and he needs to find a better way to deal with his anxiety. Nobody said it was cute. But maybe you’re talking about different comments.
I’m worried about him in part because I think he may be mixing benzos (anxiety meds) with alcohol. I hope not. I had a colleague who went that way and it is a very, very bad idea, as in permanently brain altering and potentially lethal. I have a lot of sympathy for his anxiety. I hope someone is helping him.
@Miss Jupitero, I agree. I take anxiety medication and the general rule is to NEVER combine it with alcohol because they do the same thing, calm the nerves. It’s just as bad as consuming alcohol with codine. It’ll slow your heart down to nil.
I agree with most of all of this. Evans is sliding down a scary slope if he doing all the things mentioned. His brother was picked up for cocaine possession (maybe a year ago?) So you’d think he wouldn’t be into hard drugs, but mixing anxiety medication and alcohol is just as bad. I knew he went into therapy but he did say that he doesn’t think he ‘made a big breakthrough’ or anything, so maybe he should go back. How embarrassing though, to wake up and not remember shit but the whole internet has exploded about your drunkness. I also think that if he wasn’t self medicating he wouldn’t be so insensitive during his press tour. He’s usually a very calm, level headed person (When he’s not running from Papps.) so I don’t see him calling ScarJo’s Black Widow a ‘Whore’, but there it was. And I actually saw the video, that was painful. Renner’s always like that, I think he’s going through an “I hate women faze” Because of his nasty divorce but Evans… say it aint so.
IF he wasn’t so well liked, and people didn’t worry about him as much as they did, I think this would have made a bigger impact.
While drunk Chrevans is funny, I also think it has a lot to do with him being able to face the press tours etc that just get bigger with each successive movie. Marvel is such a huge machine and their team seems to plot everything very carefully-for someone who has the kind of anxiety problems he has, I don’t imagine it really gets any easier to deal with.
I don’t know that their movies are exactly works of art (and I say this as a Marvel nerd), but they are all very fun and I am continually impressed with how well they have plotted out the MCU.
Maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to be part of a multi part ginormous franchise if his only way to be famous is to get drunk off his face or take coke.
Basically he’s an unprofessional head case, but apparently it’s cute to some people.
Wow, you seem really angry about him. One thing I don’t find cute is referring to people with serious anxiety problems as head cases.
I think if he consistently was drunk and unprofessional, you might have a point but he is well regarded in the industry as being a good actor to work with, past coke problems aside. His anxiety issues are well documented, and the Marvel machine was no where near the level it is now when he signed on for his first movie. They put their actors under strict control of what they are able to talk about in interviews as well as putting them on pretty intensive promotional tour with each movie. It isn’t surprising that he would self medicate.
And honestly, he hasn’t done anything offensive. When he starts taking swings at fans or groping someone against their will, we can talk about that. Until then, I stand by my comment.
I’m not angry about him necessarily. I’m angry about how much of a pass he gets for being unprofessional. I know plenty of people with extreme anxiety who also have stressful and demanding jobs. They do not get paid tens of millions of dollars and get to fly all over the world and be famous and get bombed drunk while doing it and have millions of little fangirls squealing over them for doing so.
Think what the reaction would’ve been if Scarjo or Elizabeth showed up drunk… I don’t think people here would’ve given them a pass or found it cute. They would’ve gotten the Lilo treatment, anxiety be damned. But Evans gets a pass because anxiety, Hamm tortures people because the victim asked for it.
Meanwhile Scarjo says “you know and like” and suddenly she’s not Mensa worthy or something while Fassbender can “you know” his way through press junkets with no problem.
This is a really good point Sarah. No way would one of his female colleagues get a pass on this kind of behaviour. Total double standard.
dur dur dur dee dur!
I’m sorry, you rang?
If I showed up a little drunk to a work function, I’d be labeled as having a drinking problem. Chris shows up buzzed out of his mind and everyone thinks it is hilarious and adorable. Interesting.
Is he overcompensating? He went from I’m retiring from acting after my Marvel contract expires to OMG the Marvel movies are Oscar-worthy masterpieces!!!! (No…they’re not…they’re very fun but…just…no). Or maybe he’s just being facetious?
Or maybe that directorial debut wasn’t what he hoped?
Well, from what I gather (NEVER watching it) the movie he directed has some seriously dubious themes vis à vis consent, so I’m not surprised if he’s getting pushback for it. I would love it if someday these dudes would be able to look at a script and be able to say, “Hey, isn’t this a little… rapey?” without having to have it pointed out to them repeatedly.
That last bit you said is what I really think is going on. He probably thought being a director would solve all his woes, either it didn’t work out or he didn’t take to it as much as he hoped, and now he’s doubling back to the original money machine.
Normally I lurrve the meatball, but this is getting past cute and straight to pathetic. Dude, we get it, you’re stressed out and anxious. But showing up blitzed is not the way to go. Someone needs to yank back the leash on him before he does something really awful.
And I cannot be convinced that the “relationship” with Lily Collins is genuine.
I think it would be funny if he had done it once. But he seems to have spent the entirety of this press tour blitzed. His poor liver. And I can’t imagine this is going to get him a great reputation with other directors either.
Hmm, yeah. I can’t see la-di-da goody two shoes Lily Collins keeping up or putting up with Chris. Just a young actress needing a PR push. Chris was happy to help someone who is obviously naive.
He keeps making the Scott Eastwood face.
OH GOD CAN’T UNSEE IT Right, that’s it, I need a new superhero crush. Hemsworth, take me, I’m all yours.
I only see Ricky Gervais
ha ha ha that’s what I thought too. I do love the suit though.
Get it together Evans. You’ve used up your anxious, neurotic dudebro personality and now you’re over the line. It’s not cute, and it’s not funny. You’ve gotten help in the past and it seemed to help. What happened?
Here’s my theory. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a huge hit, and it cleared several box office benchmarks the first one didn’t, which means Evans got some bonus money thrown his way. Also, the first Captain America movie and The Avengers are both now out on regular cable, which means the residuals have started coming in. So, after a couple of years of complaining, all of a sudden he’s starting to see the real money (those residual checks will pad his bank account for *years*), and as a result, all of a sudden, being in these movies isn’t such a hardship.
So basically your saying he was a whiny git because he wasn’t getting paid and all of that talk about wanting to do deep, artistic movies was just hot air to cover up that he was pissed off about his paycheck. But now that his pockets are getting fat his whole reason for acting like he was really not into these movies has magically disappeared because his problem was never really about what type of movie he was making, but about his paycheck.
I don’t know, I really think he is now just using liquor and other substances to make himself get through these promotions without coming off as whining about his place in the Marvel universe and pissing off his bosses. And because he is drunk he is now making these ridiculous Oscar comments on the red carpet. Which I find kind of lowkey mocking considering his previous comments about being a part of the Marvel machine. Either way, both situations are a bad look.
I think the likker is helping, it’s keeping him loose for sure. I suspect Renner and Hemsworth have been partaking, as well. I just don’t think it’s a coincidence that just as the real money starts flowing he’s changing his tune.
The kinder take would be that CATWS was such a big hit, and he’s seen over the last year that people really do love Captain America and love him in the part. I think the first couple of go-rounds were kind of rough on him because it was apparent that Cap wasn’t as popular/fun as the others, but now Cap is as popular as Iron Man. So that’s helping to loosen him up, too. it’s feeding his confidence.
Evans definitely hasn’t been the only Avenger imbibing.
And I agree. He went from being a “second tier” Avenger to TWS being a huge deal. Civil War will be massive. Plus, is it just me or did he not have to get as massively muscular this time around? That’s gotta be some pressure off. But it’s not unreasonable to think that success would change his tune.
I have a HUGE soft spot for him. I hope he’s okay, and not doing anything that may hurt him in the future.
Sure, Chris. But Kellan Lulz should get the best actor.
It’s a bit puzzling with all the advance notice of exactly what his press tour would be like, he didn’t line up better coping options. Changing subject- when is CB going to show Daredevil some love? It’s on Netflix, and amazingly good. So different in tone/approach from the Marvel movies. And whoever trained Charlie Cox deserves an Oscar- he looks incredible.
Honestly, the faces reminded me of Tom Cruise in his crazy.
He’s a walking illustration of why you should never get too hung up on film actors. They’re mostly narcissistic idiots. “Mind blowing art” indeed. Drunk your own Kool-Aid have you Chris baby?
Dammit Chris, I was rooting for you. And you turn around and act the drunken fool at work, jokingly calling women sluts and whores? Why you gotta hurt me like this.
Of course, he IS good friends with Mackie, so I really shouldn’t be shocked.
For the most part , I enjoy drunk Evans in the LA premiere last week. I don’t know how it went yesterday for the UK premiere.
I have a theory. He was superb during tiff promotions for his directorial debut. Then, movie flopped and critics hated it. Now he’s a hot mess on promotion. I don’t think he’s self medicating because of nerves since he was so wonderful during tiff or maybe he’s over medicating now? Maybe it’s something a little sadder like his movie got slammed so Since then he’s drinking and partying to hard? I dunno but whatever it is he needs to stop it immediately. Ever since Kimmel he’s turned me off with all his extra and drunkish behavior. The ‘that’s the finger you do fun stuff with’ was a major turnoff, if I’d been that girl I would have been seriously annoyed at him.
I guess he must be on something for the nerves and calming himself down. Seeing your face everywhere must be kind of difficult or even a shock.
When someone post awful pictures of myself on FB I freak out, let alone being exposed to the whole world for them to post pictures of me “drunk”. I guess fame takes a toll after all.
I remember reading about the guy who was in the cover of matchbox 20’s first album. He sued the band after they sold over 10 million records. He claimed that being recognized in the streets and seeing his face every store he walked in was hard for him to assimilate.
This is the SECOND time Evans showed his behind during a Marvel presser. Under the influence during the premiere – there are kids there! Even the merchandise tie-ins are geared towards kids; their mugs are on bags of Doritos, bottle of Nestle Quik chocolate milk, you name it. They should at least be able to pull it together. On the other hand, Marvel is really in-your-face with the promotion: Jimmy Kimmel at 10 pm (to make sure the kids watch), Avengers’ Day on 4/25 on Good Morning America. They’re making sure the movie won’t be a flop. But the hardsell is putting me off a bit.
Chris is such a hot mess during this press tour. I love seeing his personality come out, but I do feel like he needs to reel it in a bit. Also, I have secondhand embarrassment for him and the way he is fawning over Scarlett. Basically, after seeing his behavior during the promotional tour for AOU, there’s no way you can convince me he is not in love with her… Especially considering the fact that he’s been wastey face the whole time. You’re true feeling come out when you’re lit… And he is basically following her around. It’s almost like he is overstepping boundaries, but I don’t think she minds. She seems the type to lead guys on just so she is the center of attention. This is all my opinion, of course. But there is definitely something there. Too much smoke…
I really appreciate his talent. Let’s hope this is just a temporary aberration for Evans.