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Chapter Four: Esquire

Chapter Four: Esquire

Chris Evans Doesn't Like to Talk About Himself. But He Did. Sort Of.

The actor formerly known as Cap has earned career freedom. But first, he just wants to hang out with his wife,Victoria and his dog, Dodger.

PUBLISHED: APR 6, 2020

The artist formerly known as Captain America is found in seclusion at his Kensington Palace apartment with his wife Princess Victoria.

With his fortieth birthday on the horizon, Chris Evans seems to have undertaken a retreat, returning to familiar ground to regroup. The Marvel Cinematic Universe now behind him, the actor has the time, money, and wherewithal to pursue anything he wants.

All he has to do is figure out what.

Evans is sitting in an armchair by an unlit fireplace in an area off the kitchen, an informal sort of room you might call a den. The furnishings appear to be mid-century modern, a style often seen in Los Angeles, where he has a house in the Hollywood Hills. Evans is welcoming but not warm, broish in a manner that bespeaks form over content. In person he seems very much like the guy onscreen; his upper torso is sculpted in a way that suggests he's still wearing his Avengers uniform under his green tartan flannel shirt. His ball cap has a shamrock on the front panel.

Evans's mutt is snoozing at his feet, letting out the occasional fart. His name is Dodger, after Evans's favorite character in the Disney movie Oliver & Company—the roguish mongrel who leads Fagin's gang of orphans. The pair met in 2016 at a Savannah rescue shelter where Evans was filming a scene for the feel-good movie Gifted.

Evans's latest acting project, Defending Jacob, is about to debut on Apple TV+. On the show, he plays an assistant district attorney in a small town who finds himself torn between his professional responsibilities and his love for his teenage son, who has been accused of a gruesome murder. As the episodes proceed, Evans's character confronts his own secret past.

The limited series was shot in the Boston suburbs. "It felt like I had a regular nine-to-five job," he says. "I'd sleep in my own bed; I'd see my family on weekends. A lot of times you have a bit of a nomadic lifestyle as an actor. You live out of suitcases and in cities you're not familiar with. Doing Jacob made me feel like I was home but still doing what I love. It was incredibly comforting." His real estate holdings notwithstanding, he considers this his home. He spent a lot of time with his brother, the actor Scott Evans (One Life to Live, Grace & Frankie); his younger sister, Shanna; and his older sister, Carly, and her children. He often called his mom, Lisa, ten minutes before dinner to tell her he's coming over to eat.

We're about halfway through our two hours together when I bring up some Hollywood gossip: Evans's team is in negotiations for him to play the role of the sadistic dentist in a remake of the musical Little Shop of Horrors, portrayed in the 1986 film by Steve Martin. Evans mentioned his interest in the project last year. His only public acknowledgment of the recent news has been a mysterious tweet—a tooth emoji with an exclamation point.

He's been acting since age nine, when he followed Carly into the Concord Youth Theatre. (When she was about twelve, Evans recalls, she starred in a production as Audrey, Little Shop's female lead.) All four Evans siblings were active in CYT; eventually his mom became the artistic director. I ask him if his interest in Little Shop reflects a childhood love of musical theater.