Chris Evans is one of the biggest stars in the world right now. The 41-year-old shot to fame playing Captain America in several smash-hit superhero movies, and now he’s one of the industry’s most in-demand actors.
But there is one role Evans says he has been avoiding “like the plague”: hosting Saturday Night Live. Recently, the actor revealed his surprising reason for never appearing on the sketch comedy show.
Saturday Night Live has been a TV institution for nearly 50 years, and for many celebs, hosting the show is seen as an honor and a great opportunity to flex one’s comedy chops. The show has been hosted by famous people ranging from stand-up comics and actors to professional athletes and politicians.
Many of Chris Evans’ co-stars have gotten in on the fun: Avengers stars like Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch and the late Chadwick Boseman have all hosted at least once (and have always been game to parody the Marvel blockbusters).
But despite being one of the franchise’s biggest stars, Chris Evans has never hosted. And in a recent interview with ET Canada, he revealed why.
“I’ve avoided hosting ‘SNL’ like the plague for years now just because I’m so scared,” Evans said. “It’s terrifying to me… To me, it would just be one of those things that every single night I would wake up in a cold sweat.”
Despite being a major movie star, doing live sketch comedy would be way out of Evans’ comfort zone. He also revealed that he doesn’t have a lot of confidence in his comedy talents.
“I’m not a funny person,” Evans told ET Canada. “Maybe I only feel that because I have very, very funny friends who once told me I’m not a funny person.”
Evans is being modest here: he’s quite a funny guy and scored plenty of laughs in the comedy films he’s done, from Not Another Teen Movie to Knives Out.
But Evans, who has previously spoken about his struggles with anxiety, says he might just not be able to handle the stress of hosting SNL: “I just know how I would feel… it would just be an everyday anxiety, constant regret. Why did I do this? I could have been comfortable at my house, in my bed, not worrying about this.”
However, he didn’t rule out making a smaller appearance on the show: “A cameo sounds great, that’s perfect. In and out… get your toes wet,” he said.
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Could we see a Chris Evans cameo soon? Ana de Armas, Evans’ co-star in Knives Out and the upcoming film Ghosted, will host the show on April 15, giving Evans a perfect opportunity to make a surprise drop-in.
But for now, he’s just wishing her the best of luck: “I tip my hat to her,” Evans told ET Canada, adding that she is “going to be amazing.”
We’d love to see Chris Evans on SNL one day, but it’s understandable that he has some anxiety about hosting the sketch show.
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