Last year, famed director Quentin Tarantino made some rounds amongst the MCU fandom as he stated that the actors who are leading those films are "not movie stars" since the audience tuned in more to the characters rather than the actors behind them.
The Oscar winner's comment received divisive reactions with some agreeing with the director's controversial take while there are some who argued that the familiarity of the actors still has value to the general audience.
However, there is no doubt that starring in an MCU film has become a career booster for many actors as they became more recognizable to the world audience even if some of their non-MCU projects did not attain similar box office success.
Now, one of the major stars of the MCU has chimed in on the debate and his reaction may surprise you.
Also Read: Deadpool 3 Director Addresses His Rumored Avengers: Secret Wars Involvement
Chris Evans Reacts to Quentin Tarantino's Take on Marvel Movie Stars
In a recent interview with GQ, Evans opened up about his past experience working on MCU films and offered his thoughts on Tarantino's controversial comments regarding the actors who starred in the franchise.
Surprisingly, he agreed with the director's sentiment and he also saw it as an advantage since he never felt any burden playing Captain America as he knew that the audience was more invested in the character rather than him.
"That was the beauty of working on Marvel films. You never really had to be front and centre. Even in your own films sometimes. Quentin Tarantino said it recently and I was like, you know, he’s right. The character is the star. You’re there, but you don’t feel the burden of it," Evans said.
However, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige disagreed with his sentiment and he believed that it was the mindset that the actors had as part of their process.
He said, "I think it’s something he was telling himself, and I think it’s something many of the Avengers, including Robert [Downey Jr.], would tell themselves, which actually was very helpful to the process. But in certain cases, including Chris', it’s not entirely true."
There are a lot of perspectives that you can take in regarding this debate. It is true that the audience has responded more to the characters rather than the stars although you can also argue that the actors' performances made them resonate with the audience which is why they became beloved.
At the same time, we've also seen cases in the past several years where the actors' stardom does not necessarily last beyond the franchises that they're part of and their other projects were not bigger hits like their blockbuster films.
You can also take into the fold that movie stars are not the same as before anymore and we have seen some theatrical releases from A-listers that did not do well at the box office even if they're considered to be recognizable globally.
In the end, what we can agree on is that Evans and some of his MCU colleagues were able to gain more notoriety in their careers due to their involvement in the franchise and the characters that they played have now become iconic on the big screen just like in the comic book pages.
Read Next: What Really Happened to Captain America After Avengers: Endgame?
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!