Chris Evans Says He Isn’t Recognized as Captain America “As Often As You’d Think”

Chris Evans, best known for his role as Steve Rogers-slash-Captain America in Marvel Studios‘ Captain America and Avengers franchises, says he often goes unrecognized in real life.

“Well, luckily for me, I don’t think I really resemble myself, the way I look on film,” Evans told the Thirst Aid Kit podcast.

“When I run into people, if it is kind of explained that I’m the actor who plays that character, [I] get this kind of cock-headed look, and they just go ‘No! You’re not that guy! I just saw that movie last night. That guy’s bigger, he’s taller, he’s better looking!’ There really is a disbelief at my actual form in reality.”

“It’s kind of a blow to my confidence, but I guess it does kind of help me get through crowds,” Evans explained. “So I guess I don’t really have people coming up to me as often as you’d think. When they do, I suppose, it’s really nice.”

Evans has portrayed the beefy blue-eyed, blond-haired Steve Rogers since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, reprising the role in 2012’s The Avengers, 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.

Evans also made cameo appearances in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and last summer’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. He’ll next appear in Avengers: Infinity War and its year-later sequel, the currently untitled Avengers 4.

Set photos released Wednesday offered a look at Evans sporting a familiar look in Avengers 4, which has since wrapped filming.

Before Evans starred as the shield-launching Captain America, he portrayed another Marvel Comics hero — the fiery Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch — in Fox’s pair of Fantastic Four movies between 2005 and 2007.

The actor, whose Marvel deal was up with Infinity War, extended his contract to appear in Avengers 4 “because it made sense,” Evans said. “It’s going to wrap everything up.”

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige compared Evans’ do-gooder superhero to Christopher Reeve’s Superman, saying the actor best embodies the character as seen in the original comic books for more than 70 years.

Evans co-stars in Avengers: Infinity War, in theaters May 4.