Screen star Chris Evans surprised theatergoers last year with his powerful Broadway-debut turn as the police officer Bill in the Tony-nominated main-stem premiere of Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero. That performance won't likely be the last we'll see on the theater front from the Avengers veteran. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Evans spoke about his stage roots and the roles he'd love to lend his voice to—as an actor and a singer—on the big screen.
"I want to do a musical so badly," said Evans. "Someone told me they're [remaking] Little Shop of Horrors and I was like, 'Oh, can I be down? Please? Can I be the dentist?'"
As a child, Evans, whose mom runs Massachusetts' Concord Youth Theatre, took on stage roles alongside his siblings in numerous productions, a particular highlight being the lively Randolph MacAfee in Bye Bye Birdie.
"Thank God this acting career worked out," said Evans. "Otherwise I'd just be this forever dork. I probably still am."
Evans' first hope for a singing role on-screen wasn't so much musical comedy but more in the dramatic sphere.
"When I first came out here, early 2000s, there were rumblings about Spielberg maybe doing West Side Story. That's one of my favorite musicals. I did it when I was in high school. And obviously he's doing it now, and I called my team and they were like, 'Chris—maybe Krupke. You can't. You're too old.' It's so hard to hear."
Even if that particular gig doesn't seem likely for Evans, we have no doubt there's an upcoming screen role that would make his musical dreams a reality.