Chris Evans as Captain America in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, releasing on April 4

Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers/ Captain America in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. A chat...

As Captain America, you’ve done a period war piece, a sci-fi fantasy, and now a contemporary political thriller. Do you think it’s cool that you’ve been able to change it up that much? It’s an honour that I get to be a part of it, but it is the masterminds of Marvel quarterbacking these tone changes and I’m just lucky enough to go on the ride.

Who is the Winter Soldier?

The Winter Soldier is Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan) and he was one of my Howling Commandos during WW II. He’s a guy that actually didn’t make it back and, as the comic books go, he was found by the Russians and transformed into the Winter Soldier.

That shift of Bucky from friend to enemy, does that give it a little more juice?

Sure. My character, Steve Rogers, thought he’d lost everyone... he thought everyone he knew had passed away, so that unexpected connection, that link, is a big deal to him. But in this movie, they don’t have a whole lot of interaction on a personal level. It’s just step one of that evolution.

When you first read the script and saw it would be more of a political thriller, did you watch any movies for reference?

I saw a bunch of the movies that they were referencing, like The French Connection (1971) and Three Days of the Condor (1975). The Russos [Anthony and Joe, the directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier] have done a really good job with our film… none of the other Marvel movies were shot the way this movie was shot. The majority of this movie is handheld and that’s just a really interesting approach to a superhero movie. The plot is more like the political thriller but the way they’re capturing it is really different and unique.

Do you think that the way this movie is so grounded makes it a little more adult?

Cap doesn’t fly… he doesn’t shoot lightning bolts. He punches and kicks, so with that type of combat, to make it cool you have the liberty to get grittier. It feels a little more voyeuristic, a little more documentary style, and it just has a rougher feel as opposed to most superhero films that tend to be a bit glossier.

Talk about some of the training you went through for this film...

I had asked to be trained in gymnastics. When I went and met with the Russos, one of the things we all agreed on was stepping up Cap’s fighting ability. In the first movie (2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger) he had just achieved the strength, the power, the prowess and we didn’t get the chance to give him any training. In The Avengers, there were so many new characters with relationships and abilities that needed to be established that you couldn’t afford much screen time individually to any one character. On this film we really get to show Cap advancing in his skills and stepping up the fighting more. Especially after the events with The Avengers, you see how amazing everyone on that team is and what they bring to the table. Cap needs to offer more than just a few good punches and kicks. So the Russos and I all agreed that we wanted to make this a more acrobatic approach to fighting.

How was it working with Scarlett Johansson?

I’ve known Scarlett for over 10 years now. She’s like a sister. We’ve done four movies now [The Perfect Score, The Nanny Diaries, The Avengers and Winter Soldier], and it’s just so nice having a history with someone off camera, because I think that bleeds on screen. Cap and Black Widow are very different people… it’s kind of like this odd pairing. Her morality is questionable and Cap’s a boy scout. She makes her living by lying and Cap couldn’t do it if he tried. When they are at the point where they really can’t trust anyone, it becomes an interesting relationship because it involves trusting someone you don’t know that well.

Did you ever think Robert Redford would jump on board for this film?

No. I knew Marvel gets good people... they always have a way of attracting quality actors. When I met with the Russos down at Marvel and just started picking their brains about who else they were thinking of in different roles, they brought up Redford for Pierce. They just couldn’t believe he was interested and neither could I. Then it just kind of happened. It was one of those shocks and delights.

Did you get the chance to interact with Redford at all?

I just try to respect the guy and learn from observing him. But he was so great and so nice. It’s always intimidating meeting someone like that... he’s a legend. He knew his lines, he didn’t step on toes. For the first scene I had with him, he was there at midnight doing off-camera dialogue for me. It’s like it was his first movie... it’s inspiring.

When you heard Marvel was going with the Russo brothers, what did you think?

Marvel has always made some unexpected choices, whether it was Jon Favreau for the first Iron Man or Kenneth Branagh for Thor. They see something and it usually works out. When I met the Russos, I understood why they were chosen. They have a real healthy knowledge and love for comic books, which I think is a good foundation, and they have an encyclopaedic knowledge of film. These guys really know their movies and that’s comforting.

Where would you like to see your character go?

I enjoyed working in those period settings… I liked the guys that I was working with, the Howling Commandos, and I thought there’s probably a lot of stories to tell there, but you know, any way they go with it they’re going to find good, interesting stuff for the character to go through.

Do you ever think about what these films mean to people?

I feel like I’m just kind of starting to. These Marvel movies have been some of my favourites that I’ve made, and you start to realise that it does do something for people. It’s nice to see people affected or give them an opportunity to escape and just enjoy a fun ride. It’s a good feeling and it’s something I’m taking more seriously these days.

Winter soldier at a glance

Unlike other Marvel films, The Winter Soldier uses minimal visual effects and more live action.

The working title of the film was

‘Freezer Burn’.

Robert Redford, who plays Alexander Pierce (in picture), was reportedly cast as a homage to his ’70s thrillers, like Three Days of the Condor.

Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson often wrote their own dialogues.

Producer Kevin Feige, the man behind Winter Soldier as well as the Iron Man films, has described Winter Soldier as “a 1970s political thriller masquerading as a big superhero movie.”

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