Chris Evans Knows Critics Disliked ‘Ghosted,’ Admits ‘We Could’ve Done Better’ and Asks: Have ‘Audiences Outgrown Those Types of Films?’
Chris Evans knows that critics hated “Ghosted,” his Apple original movie co-starring Ana de Armas. The film, directed by Dexter Fletcher, opened in April to abysmal reviews. It currently boasts a 26% Rotten Tomatoes score, and Variety called it “over-the-top and convoluted.” (Other critics, like IndieWire’s David Ehrlich, were even more brutal, calling the film “insultingly bland.”) In a new interview with GQ magazine, Evans admitted the film could’ve been better.
“‘Ghosted’ to me felt like a movie that I grew up on, a movie that maybe we don’t see very much anymore,” Evans said. “And the question is whether or not audiences have outgrown those types of films.”
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GQ then asked: “Is that a question you had going into it or coming out of it?”
“Both,” Evans answered. “I didn’t think audiences had outgrown it prior, and I still don’t think they have, despite the fact, I mean, technically I think we did okay on, in terms of viewership. Critics didn’t like it. But that’s more the fault of the movie as opposed to the appetite of the audience. I think the appetite’s there, if it’s done properly. We could have been better.”
Evans is surely hoping to rebound with his two upcoming releases: Netflix’s “Pain Hustlers” and Prime Video’s “Red One.” He filmed those movies and “Ghosted” all in the same year, which is a work schedule he’s not keen on repeating. In fact, Evans is hoping to “maybe act a little bit less” in the future.
“I have a lot of other interests,” Evans said. “Look, by no means have I climbed any sort of a mountain in this field. I have no Oscars and I’m not lumped with other names that are at the top of the mountain in any way. But I also feel very satisfied.”
“I don’t want to — I’ve got to frame this the right way,” he continued. “I was going to say, I don’t want to waste too much time in this industry, but that doesn’t really feel… That doesn’t sound correct. I don’t want to occupy too much space in an industry that I’ve already poured 20 years into… Sometimes I wonder if I’m lacking some sort of — like, I think I’m a very driven person. I have a lot of energy. I wake up early, I get a lot done in a day, but it’s not always focused on acting. Sometimes reading a script is the last thing I want to do.”
Evans next stars opposite Emily Blunt in “Pain Hustlers,” streaming Oct. 20 on Netflix.
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