Chris Evans Talks Regrets

Chris Evans is on the cover of April's Esquire magazine. Here are some highlights from the accompanying interview:

On his fear of having regrets:
"Like always kind of wanting to be there as opposed to here. I think I'm worried all of a sudden I'll get old and have regrets, realize that I've not cultivated enough of an appreciation for the now and surrendering to the present moment."

On the challenges of dating:
"There's a certain shared life experience that is tough for someone else who's not in this industry to kind of wrap their head around. Letting someone go to work with someone for three months and they won't see them. It really, it certainly puts the relationship to the test."

On the bonds of family:
"In my own life, I have a deep connection with my family and the value of those bonds. I've always loved stories about people who put their families before themselves. It's such a noble endeavor. You can't choose your family, as opposed to friends. Especially in L.A. You really get to see how friendships are put to the test; it stirs everyone's egos. But if something goes south with a friend, you have the option to say we're not friends anymore. Your family—that's your family. Trying to make that system work and trying to make it not just functional but actually enjoyable is a really challenging endeavor, and that's certainly how it is with my family."

On actors expressing their political views:
"Look, I'm in a business where you've got to sell tickets. But, my God, I would not be able to look at myself in the mirror if I felt strongly about something and didn't speak up. I think it's about how you speak up. We're allowed to disagree. If I state my case and people don't want to go see my movies as a result, I'm okay with that."

On reading The Surrender Experiment:
"It's about the basic notion that we are only in a good mood when things are going our way. The truth is, life is going to unfold as it's going to unfold regardless of your input. If you are an active participant in that awareness, life kind of washes over you, good or bad. You kind of become Teflon a little bit to the struggles that we self-inflict.


Our conscious minds are very spread out. We worry about the past. We worry about the future. We label. And all of that stuff just makes us very separate. What I'm trying to do is just quiet it down. Put that brain down from time to time and hope those periods of quiet and stillness get longer. When you do that, what rises from the mist is a kind of surrendering. You're more connected as opposed to being separate. A lot of the questions about destiny or fate or purpose or any of that stuff—it's not like you get answers. You just realize you didn't need the questions."

Read the full interview at Esquire.