The Transformation Of Chris Evans From Childhood To Almost 40 Years Old
Chris Evans is a popular actor, an engaging social media presence, and someone who's willing to speak up for what he believes in. On top of that, he's really (really!) good-looking. While he's surely landed each of his onscreen roles because of his acting skills, it likely hasn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes. Indeed, he's "the man whose roles have include[d] whipped cream-covered high school jocks, hotshot actors, Captain America, and a character literally known as 'Harvard Hottie,'" according to W.
Frolic even took the time to compare the famous Hollywood Chrises — including Evans, Chris Pine, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Pratt — (using math, no less!) and decided that Evans came out on top when it came to his overall appeal. "Evans got everyone all hot and bothered when he co-starred in 'What's Your Number.' He's sexy, he's a little snarky, he's got a habit of waking up on your couch and giving you advice on your love life," the outlet explains. Of course, there's also "the whole Captain America thing. Not only is he hot enough to melt glaciers, but if you stalk follow him on Twitter like [they] do, all evidence points to Evans being a legit real-life Captain America who will most definitely punch a Nazi right in the face."
However, it's taken years for Chris Evans to become the man that he is today. Read on to see the star's transformation from a child to almost 40 years old.
Chris Evans was a ridiculously cute kid
Chris Evans is obviously a big star these days, but he was born back on June 13, 1981, in Boston, Massachusetts, as the second child of Lisa, who worked at a youth theater, and a dentist named G. Roberts Evans III, according to IMDb. The actor grew up with an older sister, whose name is Carly, as well as a younger sister, Shana. On top of that, he also has a younger brother, Scott. And he seems to love his hometown almost as much as he loves his family. "I was never much of a 'I can't wait to leave this town; kind of kid.' This is home to me," Evans told Men's Journal. "I have no desire to lay down roots somewhere else."
In May 2020, the star took to Instagram to share a photo of himself along with his mom and his super close three siblings. While everyone in the picture was adorable in a perfectly era-appropriate kind of way, Chris looked like a particularly delightful little darling. With blunt bangs, a comfy-looking sweatshirt, and a sweet grin, he was ridiculously cute as a child. If you look hard enough, you might even be able to get a glimpse of the man who became Captain America in the young boy in the image.
If you can't quite see the star in the child, then just wait until you get a glimpse at what he looked like as a young teenager. Although, at that time, his vibe was less snazzy superhero and more high school cooool.
This star was a typical teenager
When he was 11, Chris Evans' family relocated to Sudbury, Massachusetts, per IMDb, and by the mid-'90s, he was ready for high school. But was high school ready for him?! In October 2020, the star shared a throwback photo of himself on Instagram that showed him as a young teen with a backward baseball cap and a slightly older version of the sweet grin that he displayed in the pic of himself as a child. He captioned the image by writing, "Wow. High school starter kit complete with beaded necklace and hat with sports tape." Seriously, didn't we all go to school with this guy?
Back in the day, Evans was a student at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, which is where he flexed his early acting muscles in student plays with roles like Leontes from "The Winter's Tale." The star returned to the school in 2019 for his 20-year high school reunion and even wore a name tag "as if anyone wouldn't recognize the star of 'Avengers: Endgame,'" according to Patch.
Following high school, Evans made his way to New York City and studied his craft at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute while trying to get a start in show business. Of course, he definitely found the kind of success that he was surely looking for, but first, he had to pay his dues with a few smaller roles early on in his career.
Chris Evans paid his dues early on and looked good doing it
By the time Chris Evans was ready to leave high school behind, he was seemingly already looking ahead to a career in front of the camera. Just check out his "first photoshoot in LA," which he explained on Instagram "was for Abercrombie, which during the late '90s was the holy grail of overpriced clothing." He then added a question, asking, "Do kids still wear Abercrombie?"
It wasn't long until Evans started landing his first professional acting jobs, including roles in films like 2001's "Not Another Teen Movie" as Jake Wyler, 2005's "Fantastic Four" as Johnny Storm, 2007's "The Nanny Diaries" as Harvard Hottie (of course, we had to mention that one again), and 2010's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" as Lucas Lee, per IMDb. Although Evans still hadn't reached the level of fame that he would experience a little later on, he was already proving that he had what it took to capture audiences' attention and captivate crowds through the screen. With a look that was perfect for characters who were either cocky or oh-so-cool, Evans was able to land roles that required him to look, well, hot.
Of course, from there, the actor began to land higher-profile roles that required much more than just a pretty face, which has had its pros and cons. "Acting is great. It's one of my first loves," Evans told Reuters. However, he added, "Acting doesn't come without strings attached. Enjoying acting is different than navigating fame. At times, it can be a bit of a challenge."
He was a massively muscular Captain America
While things were going pretty darn well for Chris Evans between 2001 to 2010 when it came to the actor's career, things really started to heat up in 2011. That's when he appeared as the lead in "Captain America: The First Avenger," per IMDb.
Transforming in the film from scrawny Steve Rogers to the bulked-up superhero, the star ended up with a seriously muscular physique. "Evans' metamorphosis into the First Avenger, a hulking, inter-planetary heartthrob, is Hollywood transformation lore writ large," Men's Health explained. Indeed, the New York Daily News noted that his muscles from the first "Captain America" movie made his "Fantastic Four" character, the "Human Torch, look like a shrimp." What perhaps made the star's formidable form even more impressive is that he managed to keep it up while continuing to play the Marvel character from the first film until 2019's "Avengers: Endgame."
At the same time, Evans was landing non-Marvel jobs, like the role of Frank in 2017's "Gifted" and Ransom Drysdale in 2019's "Knives Out." While his toned figure obviously didn't keep him from scoring other onscreen gigs, his appeal beyond his most notable role may have had something to do with the fact that his face was also starting to mature from that of a younger adult to one that belongs to a refined man. In fact, that's something that continued to add to Evans' appeal as he started to get closer to the big 4-0.
Look who's (almost) 40
If you remember, Chris Evans made his entrance into the world on June 13, 1981, per IMDb. That means, as of this writing, he's 39 years old, with only around a month away from being 40. Not only is the star now officially middle-aged, he's also still incredibly good-looking.
Just take a peek at the now-and-then photos that Evans popped onto Instagram. In October 2020, he shared an image of himself from a shoot with V Magazine that was done by photographers Inez and Vinoodh, as well as one done by the duo 10 years earlier — the difference was striking. But no one can deny that Evans is still perfectly capable of making fans swoon, whether he's accidentally posting an NSFW pic of himself (*blush*) or giving admirers a glimpse at his tattoos. Yes, his tattoos. The actor who has a squeaky-clean image thanks to his role as the upstanding Captain America has a bit of an edge in real life, and that's resulted in some rather intriguing ink. It also doesn't hurt that he tends to grow a totally crush-worthy beard that makes him look slightly more mature (ahem, and hotter) than ever.
And don't worry, despite the rumors you may have heard in recent years, the former Marvel star isn't considering retiring from acting. "I never said the word 'retire,'" Evans told The Hollywood Reporter of his hopes to work behind the camera in 2020. "It's a really obnoxious notion for an actor to say they're going to retire — it's not something you retire from."