I really like this new Chris Evans. I dig the other version too, of course. This new one is super fun. Chris is promoting his directorial debut, Before We Go, at TIFF, and there are so many new interviews to play with. The most striking aspect of his presence at this festival is how he’s clearly enjoying himself. He loves talking about his baby. He loves the huge responsibility of millions of investor dollars resting upon his well-formed shoulders. It’s all pleasantly unexpected to watch. Dude used to freak out and flee press conferences in his Fantastic Four days.

Here are a few conjoined interviews from USA Today and Vanity Fair. Check out Chris’ hilarious faux-tantrum when he greets one of the journos:

The first moment: “Was it terrible?” Evans asks. He dives on the crimson couch. “Don’t lie to meeee!”

The director’s chair: “The responsibility is so much greater. It almost doesn’t matter the budget. It could be $3 million, it could be $300 million.”

Directing his own acting makes him happy: For the first time, Evans was in complete control of his performance. Tell Evans you actually prefer the way he directed himself, and he grins. “You know what? So did I. Can I say that? Is that horrible? It’s so awful to say … These are the interviews you give that you’re going to regret.” But, “as an actor you have an idea in your head how you think a scene should go. And you give your variations of performance. And then when you see the final product they don’t always use the takes you thought would work. And that’s fine. With this, I’m in charge of the edit.”

Why a romcom? “It almost feels like movies nowadays have to be extreme novelty, like some weird indie festival or spectacle, like Godzilla. What happened to Sleepless in Seattle? Just do a simple movie well.”

Is he a hopeless romantic? “I am a romantic. I’ve had great nights before where just some wonderfully romantic night happens spontaneously, unpredictably. And the next day you try to tell your friends and it just doesn’t cut it. I hope everyone has those experiences where — whether it’s a date that lasted all night or a date that lasted 5 seconds at a train station — moments that were so personal and so special, it was hard to explain to somebody else.”

The nerves are still present: “I have no problem talking to people, but when it happens in the face of 30 people, for some reason I have this really awful insecurity response, where you just start dripping sweat. Just literally turning into a sauna.”

[From USA Today and Vanity Fair]

Can I send a love letter to Chris’ therapist? “Dear Sir or Madam, thank you so much for restoring the Cap A** to operable condition. I require instruction on how to best recharge his batteries because this can’t last forever …”

Should we bag on Chris for wistfully appreciating little movies like Sleepless in Seattle over the massively budgeted action flicks, like say, The Avengers? I’ll let you decide the answer. Both types of movies can co-exist peacefully, but it’s true that cinema hasn’t experienced a good romcom wave in over a decade.

Here’s a clip of the Vanity Fair interview (sorry, no wandering hands this time) where Chris talks about his sweaty sauna pits. Does that turn you on at all? I’m there.

Photos courtesy of Getty & WENN