EXCLUSIVE: Chris Evans Talks Christmas Traditions & New Movie, ‘Red One’

Amazon MGM Studios’ new Holiday movie, Red One is now in theaters! To celebrate the release, we got the chance to hear from one of the stars of the new movie, Chris Evans.

Evans sat down with press to chat finding the balance between a Holiday movie and an action movie, his Christmas traditions, and so much more. Check out what he had to say below.

On how he finds the balance between filming an action movie and a Holiday movie?
“Luckily it’s not only me that has to figure that out. We have an old team of people who are trying to crack that code. I mean, I think it actually provides a lot of fun. There’s such great Christmas lore, folklore, not just the stories we all grew up with, but internationally. You know what I mean? When you hear some of these creatures and stories and mythology, it almost begs for some sort of action-adventure movie. So it’s not quite as hard as you think.”

On what it was like working on a real set with prostectics rather than in front of a CGI screen?
“I grew up on movies like Labyrinth and NeverEnding Story where it was all practical and it was real. Those things stuck with you as a kid because it was things that you never saw in your normal life. I know now that every other movie is just loaded with CGiI, and in a way, there’s so much of it that when you do get a film that goes practical, it still sticks with you in that same way because it’s still rare like it was when I was a kid. That’s what makes it feel not just like a real character, a real performance, but it’s not common anymore, which is nice.”

On if think his character represents the motto, “We all deserve a second chance?”
“Absolutely. I mean, look, I think at the heart of any good Christmas story, there’s going to be a ribbon that seams throughout the plot. That’s what this movie does a great job of, tapping into the heart and humanity that you’re supposed to feel during the holidays, that it is goodwill towards men, it is about remembering priorities, and certainly for the folks that are looking for forgiveness, offering them those second chances.”

On his Christmas traditions?
“We would write letters to Santa on Christmas Eve, but I was saying earlier that I’m one of four, and my siblings and I are all very close, close in age, close as people. On Christmas Eve, we would all decide whose room we were going to sleep in. We would have a little sleepover in somebody’s room and we would bring the old TV that had the VCR. We’d get our copy of Crocodile Dundee. Well, for those of you who don’t know, there was a Crocodile Dundee joke. No, the fun thing was picking what Christmas movie are we going to watch. It’s usually like a Rankin and Bass. Rudolph, you know. That was always the fun thing, picking the movie and then going upstairs and just trying desperately to fall asleep, but then getting all to wake up together at the same time.”

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.