Most of the pieces are there for me to fall for Chris Evans. He has the dark-hair-and-light-eyes combo that I love. He has an accent (Boston). He seems to genuinely care about his fans and most people say he’s a nice guy. But for some reason, I can never quite get on board. I think it’s because Chris always seems like sort of a whiner? And while he has legit anxiety issues, he also comes across as a complete neurotic. Those aspects of his personality sort of kill whatever crush I might have had for him. And those aspects are front and center in Chris’s new Rolling Stone interview. Captain America: Civil War opens in America today, after already opening internationally and raking in tons of money. And while Chris is grateful, he’s also… just so damn neurotic.
He hates doing premieres: “A red carpet lasts, what, 30 minutes tops? But that to me is like 30 minutes of walking on hot coals. It’s not like a junket – junkets you sit in a room and they bring ’em in. I can do that all day and not have a meltdown. But the premiere – that’s overwhelming. It’s the volume of it: You’re in the center of this thing. You can fight a whole army if they line up one at a time. But if they surround you, you’re f–ked.”
Marvel wanted him for nine movies: “It’s nuts. If you make a big movie like Independence Day, they’ll lock you up for three movies. But nine is insane. We got it down to six.”
He didn’t want to be Captain American because of the promotional work: “This is the most outside asks you can incorporate into a movie. I love acting – but that’s not all you’re asking me to do. I’ve been dreading press since January. It’s nice to talk about the work with people who are interested – but I freak out when I hear stupid questions about stupid things, and you’ve gotta act like you give a f–k. It’s part of the job, I’ve got to sell this thing. But it’s just a gross feeling. It makes me insecure… I don’t like having silly surface discussions. A lot of times that’s required in this business. That’s when the social anxiety kicks in. When you feel kind of un-invested, like you’re playing some sort of game you know you shouldn’t be playing. You’re making just more noise, and more trash, and almost selling something, and nothing of this is clean. It’s all a river of garbage, and you’re just in it.”
His anxious brain goes quiet when he’s acting: “The noise goes away. You’re just leaned into the experience. You’re really riding the wave of just living… That’s an incredibly douche-y thing to say. Please don’t put that in there. Ugh! ‘Riding the wave of just living’? No! F–k!”
Whether Cap has had sex: “At this point, he probably has. He has to have. But he’s respectful – he never talks about it…He’s a little vanilla. He’s a good man, but he’s not exactly flashy. He doesn’t have the great one-liners; he’s not flying around shooting missiles. He’s probably not the one your kids want to dress up as. So it’s tricky.”
He’s not big on LA: “I don’t knock L.A. But L.A. is where I come to work, where I have meetings and, unfortunately, where I feel moments of anxiety. Sometimes L.A. is great. And sometimes you just drive down Sunset like, ‘Ugh. F–kin’ Hollywood.'”
Whether he wants kids: “I really want them. My sister has kids – they’re seven, five and three – and going home and being around them feels great. I’m really trying to have kids soon. Certain things have to fall in place.” Like what? Evans laughs. “Gotta find a wife.” He’s been linked to actresses including Minka Kelly, Lily Collins and a pre-Timberlake Jessica Biel, but right now, he says he’s single.
He’s on board for Avengers 4 with a big pay increase: “Oh, yeah. They didn’t punch their Chris Evans card – like, ‘You get the seventh one free!’ Yeah, no.”
The RS piece is littered with quotes from Robert Downey Jr., who seems to get a lot of pleasure from rolling his eyes at Chris’s neuroses. There are also lots of quotes from Scarlett Johansson, who is basically more of a hang-with-the-bros kind of person than Chris. ScarJo even says at one point, “Chris can be a delicate flower a little bit.” YA THINK? I understand that he has anxiety issues and he’s really uncomfortable with premieres and craziness, and for that, I really do have sympathy. His anxiety issues are very real and are likely overwhelming at the time. But I also think he needs a little bit of perspective, because his hyperbole is making my eye twitch. It’s JUST a premiere. It’s not walking on hot coals.
Photos courtesy of Peggy Sirota/Rolling Stone and WENN.
Ok, princess.
For people who don’t understand how crippling anxiety is he can seem “delicate”. But he isn’t, AT ALL. While others can strut the red carpet, feeling sexy and beautiful and groomed, HE is shaking, and nervous and just trying not to screw his career up, and yet he’s still doing it. Bravery isn’t not being afraid, it’s not letting the fear stop you.
Here’s what it might look like in his head (I have crippling anxiety at times so this is what I’d likely be feeling):
All the flashing cameras always make him dizzy, and the shouting photographers are beginning to sound like angry animals. The suit his stylist put him in is so scratchy and heavy and he thinks his feet look weird in these shoes. He’s focusing so hard on looking as though he’s happy and enjoying this that he’s freaking out that he’s doing everything wrong. “Do I have that stupid psychotic grin on my face? Relax, you can do this.”
“Chris! Chris! Look over here!” **flash snap flash snap**
Soon he’s sweating. “Are there sweat stains on my jacket? What if I check… No! Don’t check. Someone will get a picture thinking you are smelling your pits. Do they already have that picture? Oh God!” Someone calls his name and he keeps smiling but starts to panic, “Is that a photographer? It must be. What if it’s not? What if it’s someone important?”
A hand taps his shoulder, it’s an A list female celebrity. He leans in for a hug, “Oh no! Should I have hugged her? Maybe she feels that was too forward.” The female walks on and Chris resumes the picture line. “I shouldn’t have hugged her. Ugh, you idiot. She didn’t smile before walking away. I bet I made her uncomfortable. I should apologize.”
**snap snap flash flash snap snap** “CHRIS! CHRIS! Look over here!”
He shifts his shoulders under the heavy weight of the jacket and shuffles his feet. The sound of the cameras is building and the lights flashing are making him shaky. “Wait, don’t apologize. Then she’ll think you’re a neurotic idiot. Normal people don’t apologize for hugging.”
“Chris, smile! SMILE CHRIS!” **FLASH FLASH FLASH**
He smiles, clenching his teeth and he feels as tension grips his entire body. “Strong guys hug and smile and take a picture with her. Why didn’t you take a picture?! God you’re such an idiot! Now she’ll think you snubbed her.”
**SNAPSNAPSNAP**
“You just offended the biggest female movie star, on the red carpet, and everyone saw it. It’ll be in the rags tomorrow.” His tie is so tight. He swallows and realizes that his teeth are clenched as the headache sets in. “Relax!” He takes a deep breath
**FLASHSNAPFLASHSNAP** “CHRISCHEISOVERHERE!”
Is breath hitches in his chest and he feels the last bit of control start to waver. A panic attack is starting. “I have to get of the carpet. I need to get my head straight.” His breathing is getting tighter, and he just realized that his hand is so tightly clenched in his pocket that it hurts. Turning to the left he sees the 100ft of red carpet still to go through and then the nausea hits. “Oh god, why did I choose this profession? I must be a masochist.”
Wonderful description bluebear. I still get social anxiety from time to time and I’m constantly calling myself an idiot in my head after something I said or did, it builds up in my head thinking about it over and over until I feel like I can’t breathe. The best thing(for me) has been to stop saying no to social engagements, it forces me out of my comfort zone and I just deal with what comes after, and one thing I’ve noticed about people is that everyone is awkward in their own way, and that comforts me. I always throw in a joke to let people know I’m fully aware of my social weirdness, makes me feel more in control of their judgments! 😄
I can’t imagine what he goes through working in that business, he must really love acting to keep putting himself out there. He plays Captain America perfectly, I hope to see him branch out a little more in the future and see what else he can do, but Marvel keeps their folks pretty busy.
Definitely a great description.
I get major social anxiety and when I hear Chris talk about his it makes me love him more. It’s pretty brave to talk about it, especially for someone in his position, and risk being criticised and called a ‘princess’.
Thank you for this perspective. It goes a long way to help us that don’t have it understand.
I totally feel his anxiety: I know I’d be wearing a grimace the whole time and hoping that it passes for a smile. Heck, I’m just an obscure author/artist and I NEVER post pictures of myself online anywhere – just clips of my paintings, because the idea of some stranger recognizing me freaks me out big time. Fortunately, I am OBSCURE. No one cares.
But Chris…it takes strength of will to deal with all of that. And I respect and appreciate that in him.
ingrate. then don’t take the big bucks to make big budget movies fool.
yeah, and don’t have a mental disorder either! What an idiot, choosing to have social anxiety!
I don’t believe for a minute that he actually has social anxiety, at least not to the degree he claims. I’ve seen truly crippling social anxiety, and this ain’t it. No, he comes off more like a jerk, who wants the paycheque but doesn’t want to do the job. Here’s a tip, Chris: if you don’t want to field “silly surface questions”, do work with more artistic integrity than The Avengers Part 86 or whatever number they’re on by now.
Chris has had this for a very long time. Years ago it was so bad that he actually ran off stage during a press conference. Who are you to tell someone what they do or don’t suffer from or how bad it is?
Not that I think mental disorders are funny, but Starkiller your comment was so snarky that I couldn’t help but laugh.
I can’t believe people are accusing him of making this up. Pretty f*cked up…
God this guy is such a Titty Baby, seriously!
Agreed!
I was expecting to hate his guts after reading this but now I kinda feel bad for him. Social anxiety can be absolutely crippling, & sometimes the more you try to explain how you feel/react to situations the more people look at you like your batsh!t nuts.
I hope he has sought professional help to provide him with some tools to handle situations that trigger his anxiety.
I don’t have social anxiety, but have had many patients as well as a sister deal with it.
Same here – I feel sorry for him because it is probably not what he signed on for – the big premiers. But doing the job on set, and speaking one-on-one – different story and different head space.
Thank you for this. The most stressful part of my day is picking my kids up from elementary school. I’m so nervous about saying the wrong thing to the wrong parent. I tend to ramble when I’m nervous. The whole walk home I’m going over what I just said, how stupid did it sound, what are they saying about me now… Every day it’s the same thing.
And just to add to this, I tend to lock on to one person and not avert my gaze for fear of making eye contact with anyone else. I must look like such a snob.
OH, YES! So, I lead an organization that is currently 75 people growing to 100. I can stand up in front of them and talk about business all day long. I can lead conference calls and meetings and greet clients and all that is smooth-like Chris says, everything in my brain shuts up. But as soon as I have to be SOCIAL…someone kill me, please. All I can think is how I’m f*cking it up and how everyone is judging me behind my back, and talking about how I’m weird and fat and that no one likes me.
I attended a seminar a couple of weeks ago and one of the foci was “self-talk.” The voices in my head are mean as hell. I’m working on shutting them up.
I totally get what he is saying. I’m not a celebrity nor do I have anxiety but I hate walking into a room full of people and they all turn to look at me. In my head I’m saying what the f*ck yall looking at. I don’t like being the center of attention and maybe Chris doesn’t either. I know acting is his job but he doesn’t have to like every aspect of the job. I know I don’t like everything that comes along with my job. Some people on here are so quick to judge without thinking things over a bit first.
And RDJ had been trying to help him with his anxiety but I guess it’s not working as well as they had hoped. Then again maybe it has. Chris used to hate press junkets as well and even left stage in the middle of one but now he seems to do ok with it.
I was surprised that both RDJ and ScarJo seem to be somewhat mocking Evans over his anxiety. Especially since RDJ and Evans seem to be friends, and like you said, I was under the impression RDJ was trying to help Evans out with the anxious behavior. Maybe they all joke about his anxiety behind the scenes, but Scarlett calling him a delicate flower and RDJ telling him to man up made me wince; its comments like that that lead to articles like this, where someone with legit anxiety gets written off as a neurotic whiner.
Yes, and I understand that feeling he is talking about. I once ran out from an important exam because I felt like passing out during a crisis. The year my social anxiety triggered was the worst in my life. Now things are way better and I haven’t had a crisis in years but the fear of it when I start to get nervous is there most of times
I agree. I find some things stressful, and he’s not comparing the red carpet to genocide, or anything, just saying that it is overwhelming for him. I think that’s fine, and I get it. I do think he needs to find a better way of coping than getting hammered before he goes out there, however, but I understand that’s how he deals with it.
Plus, he gets out there and hustles. I don’t think he’s asking for pity, and he’s fully cognizant that these are his obligations. He has done a ton of promo for this movie, and has seemed happy and gracious in every interview I’ve seen, so it’s not as though he’s trying to evade his responsibilities.
Plus, he looks REALLY hot in that photo. That really helps.
+1 to everything you said
Yep! It’s not being melodramatic. People without anxiety really don’t understand how debilitating it can be, and writing off how bad it can get as “melodramatic” is part of the problem. If he were talking about having terrible depression, would words like melodramatic get thrown around? Maybe, but people would be called out for it more.
Agree with everyone’s compassion here and how Chris’ quotes relate to your own experiences.
There is one more thing to mention, in addition to “I agree with all of you and Chris”:
we keep talking about how we try to raise our kids (making a sweeping generalization here) in a way that defies conventional gender borders: pink and dolls and tiaras for girls, trucks and balls for boys; girls are sensitive and pretty, boys are tough and roughhouse. And we teach boys and then young men that talking about their feelings makes them a “delicate flower”.
That offends me on a really deep level. If a woman were making these statements she would still get criticism (“you’re an actress, that’s the price of fame”) but there would be a lot more sympathy. Why, when a man actually admits to these feelings of powerlessness and anxiety and stress, instead of listening, we rush to judge? It’s the grown up equivalent of “toughen up”, “man up” and it is so wrong.
In this particular case Chris was actually quite eloquent on what stresses him – it is not the work, which he loves, it is not the press junkets, which he can handle – it is the very specific situation of the RC which trigger his anxiety. I judge both ScarJo andRDJ very harshly for their mockery and unkind words. This is the kind of attitude that makes men hide their feelings, and in the case of young teens often leads to either violence of self harm.
@vauvet and everybody else: I agree with you. I think he is acknowledging the RC because everybody has noticed how he looks (drunk or drugged) and sometimes incoherent. At first, I thought RDJ comments were funny (enjoy yourself dude, bla bla bla). But a friend of mine here made me realize RDJ was mocking his anxiety condition. It makes more sense the way he acts in premieres since that’s what it triggers his anxiety.
Yes to everything.
Oh Chris. It does sound like social anxiety, right? I must admit I have kind of a thing for him, even though I read his statements to this effect (he’s made a few) and cringe. The thing is, he CAN do the press and promo very well. There’s tons of promo videos of him answering fluffy questions, telling stories about his nieces and nephews, and stories about the set, and he’s so charming and funny in those. And then he makes one whiny statement about how he hates the promo or how he hates the superhero promo thing so much he’s thinking about quitting it, and it gets picked up, because it’s a lot more notable than the other fluff stories.
I don’t know – surely there’s a way of alluding to his dislike of the process that is honest but comes off as less whiny? Talking about how you respect everyone who is doing their job (press and PR people) but hate the part where you are in a throng of people who are trying to get a reaction out of you, rather than complaining about being involved in a multimillion dollar moneymaker of a film that is keeping you rich? Maybe this quote was at the end of approx 8 hours of promo or something and he was fed up with it and sounding off. Or maybe I am being too apologetic for one of my favourites for no good reason other than that I just like the guy.
all the individual fan accounts I’ve ever seen have been very positive about Evans, I remember this one from ages ago:
http://www.g33kwatch.com/movies/story-of-a-five-year-old-avenger-meeting-the-avengers/
(I almost died @how adorable it was tbh)
@teacakes “Evans crouches down next to Edison, who extends his hand and shakes the hand of The First Avenger. “Can I see your shield?” Evans asks and Edison hands his battered toy shield over. “Wow, you’re getting a lot of use out of this. You fighting a lot of bad guys with this?” he asks. Chris Evans and Edison proceed to have a conversation about the finer points of shields and fighting the enemy.”
OMG. THIS IS THE BEST. EVANS GETS A PASS FOREVER FOR BEING SO LOVELY.
Thanks for the link!
SO cute. Thanks for sharing, teacakes.
Awww how sweet. 🙂
I saw some old interviews of his c. The Avengers and he was talking about having therapy for his social anxiety issues.
and it’s an actual disorder that needs careful management, so it’s just REALLY missing the point to say “take some Xanax and shut up”, pardon my French but dealing with mental illness or disorders is not just a matter of popping a few pills, and anyone who thinks so is just ignorant as hell, to put it very kindly.
Wow….just wow!?! Way to put your neurosis front and center. He clearly is sooo self conscience I’m mystified why he selected his profession…
..maybe because, as he says in this very interview, the job usually involves much more acting than social interacting. Not so with Marvel.
But you’re right; how dare someone with anxiety pursue their passion regardless of the obstacles they may face! All of us with social anxiety should stay in the shadows with isolated jobs, and if we don’t? Well, we’d better shut up and never mention what we’re feeling. Even when *directly asked*.
I don’t think it’s weird that he’d choose acting as a profession (a lot of shy people are actors, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of actors were socially anxious given the numbers of people the have to deal with), but have wondered why he didn’t choose to pursue movies with less promotion attached to them. He won’t get any Oscars for doing Marvel movies so I don’t see any huge advantage to doing them if you’re a bit anti-Hollywood (which he seems to be in some parts of this interview), although I suppose the money is really good.
6 movies for a Captain America franchise seems like so much for any actor. What an odd commitment to ask an actor to make. I could understand that many movies being made for Harry Potter, but are people dying for Captain America sequels?
“but are people dying for Captain America sequels?”
YES!!!! Cap is my favorite character.
@perplexed: Marvel movies are like a TV show but for the big screen.
Every movie is setting up the next and these Iron Man or Captain America series are like episodes that focus on certain characters of the team or the superhero universe. The Avengers movies are the ‘episodes’ in which all the characters reunite. This is Marvel’s concept, every movie somehow sets off the next one. It’s cool if you like that – I do.
But to be clear: Captain America had only one solo movie, the first one. In the second they started to bring the big guns with ScarJo and Sam Jackson and Mackie. Civil War brings almost all the superheroes together but it is called Captain America: Civil War.
Iron Man was different, the weight was more on RDJ, he had little help to carry the movie. Thor was pretty much on his own as well.
But Marvel pulled all the stops for Captain America, they brought everybody in and Civil War is huge and Chris Evans does not carry it by himself. He didn’t carry Winter Soldier by himself either.
IMO Marvel has really offered everything to his character and they made Captain America cool. Regarding the press, I feel like Marvel did its best to take care of him on this issue too. He has been coupled in interviews as much as possible. I feel a lot of people care about Evans’ needs. Even RDJ. There is a story Evans always tells about how RDJ was one of the millions of people that tried to convince him to take the part of Captain America. On this press tour RDJ called out, jokingly, Evans on the red carpet for forgetting his birthday. ScarJo said in a previous interview that she feels Evans gets away with a lot. Make with this what you please.
@Trixie: amazingly, that is my favorite character as well. I credit Marvel with making great characters and movies. The Marvel machinery is exquisite.
Okay, maybe I should amend what I said. I can see people having an interest in seeing the movies. I guess I don’t see why they’d ask him to commit to 6 or why he’d have an interest in doing 6 movies (if he dislikes the Hollywood aspect of his job). I figured he could be replaced by some other actor in the role — that is, unless people are really attached to seeing him play this character. Are people attached to seeing him specifically the way they might be with RDJ? My eyes popped out when he said they had to bring the number of movies he does down to 6 instead of 9. He made it sound as if he was committed to some huge load (I didn’t realize the other actors help him out with this). If other people are carrying the movies in an episodic structure, with him added to the list, that doesn’t sound too bad.
I am not particularly attached to Evans as Captain America. And he has made it pretty clear he doesn’ t like the character he’s playing so he could easily be replaced by an actor just as skilled or even more. But people adore him for his body and when he ‘openly’ talks about his so called social anxiety you can just hear the fans faint. I say ‘so called’ because as ‘senna’ pointed out in a comment above, he can do press just fine when he wants to, with the people that he wants and with the questions that don’t bother him.
Why he took such a big contract when Hollywood disgusts him? Forever mistery.
@perplexed: Yes, the captain American movies by far are the best ones Marvel has made, even if it doesn’t show in the box office. I confess that I watched the winter soldier 5 times already and enjoyed it every time.
Oh Chris just keep your mouth shut and look pretty!!!!
Try doing it six inch heels, crybaby.
I apologize for this comment. I was caught out skimming. I didn’t understand that he suffers from an anxiety disorder or I never would have called him names. I thought he was just complaining that it was boring and long.
Nah, you’re confusing him with Jeremy Renner and his excuse for using words like ‘slut” and “whore.” 😀
Perspective, yeah something he shoud think about more.
That header pic is the hottest pic of him I’ve seen, in recent years at least.
Exactly!
I’ve never found him attractive before til I saw that pic!!
YOWZA.
I agree- that pic is so hot! and the pic of him in the three piece suit is like he powdered his face!
Very hot indeed.
that shirt is identical to my Captain America t-shirt, I am a sucker for that shield.
Yeah he’s not usually my thing but HELL YEAH to that photo.
Ugh. As a parent to a kid with anxiety, I sympathize. It’s taken me a long time to realize that although it’s not rational or reasonable, that panic is real. And other people, adults and kids, have very little patience for it.
^^THIS^^
Maybe it’s because both my mom and bro have social anxiety issues, but I’ll sympathize with him here.
And at least he acknowledges that he has an issue.
As someone with clinical anxiety and panic disorder, I completely relate and sympathize for him. It’s not being a princess or a diva, it is a really terrifying thing. Triggers are different for different people – mine are being stuck in traffic and feeling trapped, public speaking, and a whole grab bag of fun stuff. But, like Chris, I still do ’em, it’s just that they can be terrifying experiences. Panic and anxiety can pack a wallop and really take a toll. And, the funny thing is that no one can tell that I feel this way unless I tell them. You learn to cover for it so well that people are shocked when I tell them. And I also sort of joke about it too because I know how crazy it all sounds.
Also, from my perspective, I am thrilled that someone in his position is talking about this. I have always been so embarrassed about my struggles because they are just so hard for people to get – it’s not normal butterflies in the stomach, it is “oh my god I think I am dying, my whole body is shutting down, I can’t breathe” roiling terror. People think it’s the same brand of anxiety and nerves that regular people have. It’s really, really not.
So maybe give him a pass?
If he explained it as well as you do, I could sympathize. He’s so cryptic, though, it almost sounds like he’s complaining that his feet hurt. I hope you can find some relief from your anxiety. I have mild anxiety, just a constant, underlying buzz buzz buzz something’s wrong buzz buzz you forgot something buzz buzz you’re going to fail – that sort of thing and it’s exhausting. I can’t imagine if it were more intense.
Thanks! I think of it as something I manage like someone would manage diabetes. I stay healthy, exercise, medicate for it. The “generalized” part I can manage, but when I get walloped, I get walloped. But I have had enough experience to know it’s temporary and I will get through it. But it is pretty exhausting!!
…yeah, half of these comments are painfully flippant and the other painfully familiar. He’s rationalizing and explaining feelings that so many of us have on a daily basis, and I’d like to think his privilege is causing most of the apathy, but these reactions are really showing me how little understanding and patience others have for genuine mental health conditions.
I mean… Princess? T***y baby? Crybaby? Fool? Delicate flower?
+1
And to think that some of these comments are coming from posters who are usually rational and sympathetic to other people’s issues. Don’t they know that anxiety disorder is a form of mental illness in a way and it can be disabling?
In our defense, I had no idea that he was suffering from an anxiety disorder or I never would have said that. I don’t follow him, and I just skimmed the article. I apologize for my comment and will add so underneath.
+2. I get that it’s hard for people to understand what it’s like if you never experienced it but these type of comments are so insensitive, Is it because he’s male? or rich? But wtf way to invalidate someone’s feelings…
As someone who has GAD and who has heard many such comments it kinda hurts to see how many people just don’t even care enough to understand how disabling anxiety can be. And it’s not just like “in your head” or whatever anxiety can cause physical pain too and it’s just so saddening that people don’t see it as a serious problem at all.
My daughter’s trigger is fear of fainting. And when she gets to that place where the panic sets in, it’s like she’s not even there, she’s so deeply in her own head. If I can get her to hold my gaze, it helps ground her and bring her back. And yes, she’s in middle school and her fears are considered babyish by her peers and irritating by some adults (dentists, etc). It’s remarkable how people mock fears like that, I had no idea before this. And it’s so easy to minimize (like migraines!) because it’s otherwise invisible and people think it’s a moral failing, that you should just tough it out.
Thanks for your explanation of how it feels. I’m still trying to understand so I can help her better.
The best explanation I can give is this: Have you ever been startled – truly jump out of your skin scared for a minute and then clutch your chest while your heart thuds – Boom! Boom! Boom! – and you hunch over and grab your knees as you recover your breath?
You know the feeling. Your entire body reacts, from your clenched jaw to your curled toes. You pant for breath like you just ran a sprint.
Imagine having that feeling and it just won’t go away. Your heart pounding, your throat closing up, your stomach churning. It keeps coming in wave after wave as you see walls closing in and ceilings collapsing and all you want to do is get the hell out. Get the hell off the plane. Out of the car. Out of the theater. The boardroom. The restaurant. Because staying there means this feeling will just get worse and you will die. Of shame or a heart attack. Or faint. Or throw up. Or scream and scream and it still won’t stop, this feeling of sheer terror.
Yes, that sounds very familiar. Especially the need to get out of the car right then (even if it’s not safe), or get off that plane, or basically to get out of whatever the situation is, at whatever cost–the need is that compelling. Interesting to have a window inside it, as my kid can’t quite describe it yet.
I’ve got a boy with autism and it’s given me a deeper compassion for those with any sort of disabling condition that they can’t avoid or overcome. I don’t follow Chris too closely, but I find his openness refreshing, even if he overshares a bit. He’s at least interesting to listen to.
Saw Cap 3 tonight and enjoyed it as much or more than Winter Soldier.
It took a while for me to really get that Chris has a panic disorder, and this is the most he’s ever really talked about it. It may not be the most coherent, but it makes the point.
My panic response is sweating. When I have to speak in public I start to sweat. Ugh. And when I mention HOW MUCH I dislike the activity, everyone’s all “but you’re so good at it!” (I’m basically faking it, BTW.) My default response has become “I’m also good about going to the dentist, that doesn’t mean I enjoy it.”
I openly invited him online for a drink at regal begal. I will be returning to Boston for my commencement. Your move, Chris! 😂😂😂😂
What he says about “surface” discussions feels so familiar to me. Maybe it’s because I just smoked and I have more tolerance for hyperbole right now… but it’s the banal/brain-cell-killing chitchat that gives me the most anxiety. And depression makes it physically impossible to fake a smile and pretend to be interested.
“Water cooler” small talk at work would cause me to shut down, so I cannot imagine days of press junkets about asinine things. Especially if I felt obligated to harness the media’s social impact in some meaningful way.
But then again, if I chose to do it anyway because I couldn’t pass up millions of dollars, I would probably get some serious and intensive help for my anxiety issues along the way. And if I was making those millions for ACTING, I really hope “faking it” would be easier.
he has talked about going to therapy/getting treatment for social anxiety before, it’s been known for years that he has a problem.
Reading people’s nasty reactions to him discussing his anxiety, is why I don’t and so many other people don’t openly talk about it. Yeah I get it, how dare we be so so weak, it must make you feel really pleased with yourselves that you aren’t afflicted with it.
Our society is lacking empathy, an important quality to have. I know he is anxious, so I usually give him a pass when and how he talks about it. Or at least I try to be more understanding.
I am sorry for all of you who go through it and who feel you cannot talk about it because you will be mocked and disrespected. I am sorry!
Exactly.
This is really disappointing.
Lara, please don’t put yourself in the same boat with Chris Evans. And don’t draw conclusions based on people’s reactions to him.
You should find out morr about him. I watch Marvel movies and I have seen him on several press tours. He may have anxietu issues but he also has a bad personality. But above all he is a great sales man.
@also, you’re also of the belief that he’s making it up for convenience’s sake when it’s a fact that he’s spoken about his anxiety issues for years, so forgive me if I don’t take your claims about his “personality” seriously.
Social anxiety is horrible, and I feel for him, but you can talk about it without sounding whiny and ungrateful. No one is forcing him to do any of this. Many of us have anxiety, and we have to do things on our jobs, like make small talk and sell ourselves, that make us uncomfortable, but we do it. We don’t get paid the big bucks and have an interview in Rolling Stone to complain about it. I like Chris Evans, but this interview just rubbed me the wrong way for that reason.
I also suspect it’s his tone that might put some people off. This quote sounds kind of not too nice: “but I freak out when I hear stupid questions about stupid things, and you’ve gotta act like you give a f–k.
I think if he had said he has a hard time with small talk (I don’t like it either) or that he has difficulty filling in gaps when it comes to trying to answer questions, people would be more sympathetic. But it’s hard to figure out what he might consider stupid, and what stupid things would cause his anxiety to increase.
Let me explain something. I’ve had dysthymia, chronic low grade depression, my whole life. I’ve had major depression on top of that with so much anxiety I couldn’t leave the house for a period of time. I know where he’s coming from and I sympathize. But he just sounds really ungrateful and flippant in this interview. I can understand being tired of what he says are stupid questions, but the interviewers are just trying to do their jobs, too.
It’s not just the neurotic part and social anxiety issues that make him unappealing for me. It’s his condenscendance. In his interviews for Civil War he literally seems to hold back from calling his character a moron.
More so, it’s like he is looking down on his own character.
I think in this press tour Downey, jokingly of course, called him out on his BS. He said Evans likes to play the humble card but he is actually very.shrewd. And I think it’s true. Downey at least tries to entertain for all his money and flaws. Evans acts like he is above it and everybody feels sorry for him.
I love the Marvel movies and.I hate that they are making me give Evans my money.
Exactly. Condescension and lack of gratitude, man.
Just have a beer and count the money Chris, worse problems than this!
Well tell that to half of the posters on this post that say they are suffering from the same thing.
I have crippling social anxiety. When I go to some party or stuff and just hear the noise from outside I need to go stand in a corner and calm myself down. I absolutely get him.
I usually try to find the pets. If you’re petting or playing with a dog or cat, people will think you’re just preoccupied, not deathly afraid of interacting with them.
I HATE being in large crowds of people. I can completely understand why he feels the way he does. It’s a shame more of his colleagues don’t understand social anxiety and panic. Perhaps if one of their loved ones suffered from it, they would. How fortunate for them that they’ve never had to deal with that, and they can openly mock him for it.
I get the whole “take your millions and shut up” idea, but sometimes I see snippets of movie press junket days on YouTube and the repetitiveness of the questions from every random reporter under the sun looks unbearable. And it all on video so you have to keep it together 100% of the time. I saw one yesterday and he got a stupid question about superpowers that has to have come up literally a thousand times over the years of Marvel promotions. I couldn’t do it.
He’s talked about his anxiety before. I don’t know why interviews keep asking him about it. They are just too lazy to think up interesting questions.
As someone with a debilitating panic disorder–I’d happily be run over by a car if it would make me normal, I can see where he’s coming from. To have to walk around and interact with hundreds or thousands of people–I could do it, with extra medication, but would be a wreck after. So I feel for the guy. And it hurts to see that people still think anxiety and panic are something you just “get over.” I wish it was that easy.
I think he seems like a nice guy and it probably would be daunting to most people even if you are confident. I’ve seen him in the flesh and he is gorgeous! So I’ll let him off 😀
I get what he’s saying particularly about the river of garbage in which he has to sit. Very telling metaphor. Why isn’t anyone listening to what he says. He seems like a smart guy
“Why isn’t anyone listening to what he says.”
Because it’s easier to sit and pass judgment.
Agree
I can sympathize with his plight. I have had clinical depression for over 15 years and managed to get it under control with intensive therapy and medication. But I spent the last few years taking care of a sick family member, I gradually developed severe anxiety. When my family member died a few days before Christmas in 2014, I began to hibernate in my home. I rarely left the house except for necessities because I was so afraid of going outside my home. This pattern continued for nearly a year. Recently I’ve begun to go out more but its so hard. I’m truly not asking for sympathy but just trying to add another layer of context to the topic and to Mr. Evans’ description. If anyone wants to read this. Thanks.
@ABBESS TANSY I understand where you are coming from and I am proud of you for starting to go out. I have lots of anxiety (social, panic, OCD and PTSD). I hate leaving my apartment especially to go to the grocery store and places like that. If not for my family, I would never leave the house. So I give you big props.
Also, being in a crowded place exhausts me, if I can last 15 minutes without crawling out of my skin, I just want to go home and pull the covers over my head.
When people say, well he can do this but not that and it doesn’t make sense. But anxiety is not rational and you can plan for some scenarios that cause anxiety and others will blindside you. I had a full blown panic attack at work the other day and I am still not sure what caused it but my therapist said that the subconscious can pick up on things that the conscious is not aware of.
I know this is a long post, so I will make one more quick point (then I will worry about everything I said in this post and feel like an idiot). I know there is a lot of mention of Chris acting drunk during red carpets, junkets and interviews. I take Klonopin (which is like Xanax) and I always have a little stoned or buzzed feeling when I take it and I slur my words and have been described as acting a little drunk. Could the behavior that people take as him being drunk really be side effects from his anxiety meds?
** I have been a fan and lurker on here for a long time but this is my first post. I just wanted to say hi to everyone.
Hi Violet! Nice to hear your perspective. thanks for unlurking. 🙂 Your post and the posts above are so interesting and helpful to me — I had been feeling so alone in my efforts to help my kid with anxiety, not realizing how many people struggle with it. I truly appreciate all the stories and info.
I have all the sympathy for Chris and commend him for speaking openly about how crippling anxiety can become. I have to get out of bed and go to work despite my depression and anxiety making it physically VERY HARD. I have to do it because I have no choice and every day I go to bed hoping I will die in my sleep so I can be free. And people don’t understand, they are all: “But you show up, so it must be easy to manage!” So I am actually a bit grateful to Chris for speaking about it, although I have a feeling people have a lot more understanding for celebrities’ hard times than for average people. I feel like my therapists and doctors are just trying me to get back to work and stop “complaining” because no one has time for a broken worker.
The Rolling Stone pic with the Cap shirt is to date the best pic of Chris E. in my book.
But if he would stop blurting out misogynistic things (Avengers press tour, Black Widow comments), he would be even hotter.
And I wish someone told him what I get told all the time: that not everyone has to have kids, and if he really has so much love to give, he can always adopt. I side-eye people who can only love kids who are genetically half them.
I’m sympathetic towards him. I’m perhaps not as anxious, but I suffer from severe depression and there are times when even a street where no one notices me gives me anxiety so severe I get nauseous. I think it’s very admirable that he speaks about it, and, that in Hollywood he’s willing to admit that he feels, ah, vulnerable. He reminds me of Eva Green who has been noted to be incredibly shy (and anxious?) in real life, but when she acts, it goes away for the duration.
Some have been saying that for all the whining he does, he sure seems to handle promo and press well. Yeah. We do. We have to. We’ve learned to cope and hide and fake our way through extreme stress. Then we go home, and crash. I crash to two bottles of wine, some do coke to feel normal, some turn to maybe video games, some just curl up under a blanket, exhausted.
Anxiety, the fight or flight thing, it’s irrational. And the worst is the shame: you know you should be fine, and often times you are in a situation like this, but for some reason this time you’re scared and everyone can see it.
Buy you a beverage of your choice should I ever set my foot on mickeyland. Loved him as Mace in Sunshine. Very talented.
Well got to give him props for not comparing promotion to holocaust unlike some douch. I am nit a chris fan, he seems rather bland to me but I grnuanly laughted at this: “sometimes you just drive down Sunset like, ‘Ugh. F–kin’ Hollywood.’ “