Sexiest Man Alive Chris Evans Recalls His First Kiss, First Crushes, First Job and More

Sexiest Man Alive Chris Evans Recalls His First Kiss, First Crushes, First Job and More

Chris Evans is opening up about some of the big firsts in his life.

Speaking with PEOPLE for this week's issue, the newly crowned 2022 Sexiest Man Alive recalls his first paid acting job, which he got in seventh grade through a casting agency in his hometown of Boston.

"It was some little commercial for a CD-ROM or something. As local as it gets," says Evans, 41.

Asked about his first crush, the Avengers: Endgame actor doesn't have just one answer — instead, he remembers feeling affection for several ladies early on, both real and fictional.

"Maybe [Danica McKellar's Wonder Years character] Winnie Cooper, maybe Elisabeth Shue, maybe [Soleil Moon Frye's character] Punky Brewster," Evans says.

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Chris Evans Sexiest Man Alive 2022
Chris Evans Sexiest Man Alive 2022

Michael Schwartz Chris Evans, PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive 2022

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The actor also names Maggie Sullivan as his first kiss, admitting with a smile, "I feel bad blowing her spot up here, although I think I said it on a talk show [before]."

The smooch went down, according to Evans, when he was doing a play in sixth grade, in which he was cast as the lead — a part that instantly upped his popularity.

For more on PEOPLE's 2022 Sexiest Man Alive issue, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

"Very magically, after getting the lead, one of the cool girls liked me. And what the cool kids did at recess was walk into the woods and kiss," he tells PEOPLE.

As for what he'd be doing if he weren't an actor, Evans admits, "Poor. I don't know what the hell I would do."

Chris Evans Sexiest Man Alive 2022
Chris Evans Sexiest Man Alive 2022

Michael Schwartz

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Evans is the third Marvel Cinematic Universe actor in a row to nab the title of PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, following Michael B. Jordan in 2020 and Paul Rudd in 2021.

And while he's still full steam ahead on projects like the 2023 holiday film Red One, which recently kicked off production, Evans is also thinking a lot more about his future outside of acting — which includes marriage and fatherhood.

"That's absolutely something I want," he says.

Just don't expect him to talk much about that when it happens: "Some things you want just for you, or just for my family and my friends."

For much more on Chris Evans and his life now, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.