Actor Chris Evans has said that being cast as the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies meant a lot to him, as he'd "just been dumped." The actor played the superhero in two Fantastic Four films, before going on to play 'Captain America' in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"That was back when the superhero thing was just taking off," Evans said on THR's podcast. "For the most part, this was right on the heels of the 'Spider-Man' with Tobey Maguire and the 'X-Men', so the superhero thing was just taking off.
You try to remember the moments in your life when you get those phone calls to get a job and I'm ashamed to admit that I can't always remember getting those calls but that one I remember. There were a lot of other personal things.
I think I had just been dumped. I needed a win. I remember getting that phone call and just thinking, 'Aw, yes!' It was really a role that I enjoyed; it was the best paycheck I had ever gotten.
It felt like a little bit of a corner had been turned and maybe I could parlay this into something else." Both Fantastic Four films received poor reviews and were only moderately successful at the box office.
Marvel president Kevin Feige had said in an interview that Evans having played a superhero already came in the way of him being cast as 'Captain America'. He told the Hollywood Reporter, "We thought, OK, well, he's that character. Let's keep looking."