Sexiest Man Alive Chris Evans Jokes His 'Old' Age Is Showing: 'If I Have Two Beers, I Wear It'
Despite recent evidence to the contrary, Chris Evans claims he's had to take a new, more mindful approach to his health and fitness now that he's in his 40s.
The actor and newly crowned PEOPLE's 2022 Sexiest Man Alive, who is well-known for being in superhero shape from his decade playing Marvel hero Captain America, admits that he's had to start paying closer attention to what he eats and how he exercises.
"In the good ol' days I could eat whatever I wanted, do a couple workouts per week and be okay," says the star, 41. "That is not the case anymore. If I have two beers, I wear it. I haven't had to play a role like Captain America in a while so things like diet and workout regimen haven't been on my radar. But getting older, things are clicking and sore and it's harder to wake up, you have less energy."
Citing the familiar adage that "youth is wasted on the young," the actor acknowledges that he didn't realize how lucky he had it in his younger years, but that he's paying more attention now.
"I'm in that sweet spot of being very appreciative of the place I'm in and that I can still reel it in if it starts to spiral out of control," he says.
Michael Schwartz
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The Gray Man star isn't particularly strict about anything, just more aware of his overall well-being.
"It's as simple as stretching in the morning. God, I'm old," he stops himself with a laugh. "But things like that. Making sure you're drinking water, that you go to bed at a reasonable time, making sure you're not drinking too much coffee or beer, simple things, but they add up."
But what's with all the "old" talk at the age of 41?
"You know what it is? It's that it happened so quickly," he says. "A year ago I wasn't thinking about any of this. I was someone who was lucky enough to not really think much of it in my 30s and then I hit 40 and it all came at once."
Recalling the more regimented and intense fitness plans he followed during his time as The First Avenger, Evans says he had the time of his life in the role.
"Oh my God, you'd be a real jerk to not enjoy it. You get paid to take care of yourself and be a superhero," he says. "This is like what you [dream of doing] as a kid. You run around your backyard and pretend to be a comic book character. It's been one of the greatest joys of my life to kind of dive in and prepare for these movies. They're challenging but the beauty is the movies are great and you get out what you put in. It's been a wonderful very symbiotic relationship so I've been thrilled to do it. When the movies end, you're very happy to have a break but very quickly you miss it. I miss it now. But I'm very grateful, very happy to have been a part of them."
Michael Schwartz
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Evans' mindfulness extends to his work-life balance and how he stays grounded in such a high profile field.
"I try not to measure life or categorize it over right decision, wrong decision. Whatever I did is what I did, whatever happened is what happened," he explains, while also acknowledging that taking on Captain America was an early career risk that paid off. "It ended up being the best decision of my life. I can't imagine what my life would've been without it," he says. "But if you get lost in the sliding doors of it you can miss what's happening. The real goal in life, it's a bit of a platitude, but it is to stay present and I think the analysis of the past or the worry about the future is just taking you out of right now and it's probably not the healthiest choice."
Twenty-two years into his career, Evans says he's ready to slow down a bit.
"The most enjoyable aspect of my career right now is feeling secure enough to take my foot off the gas," he says. "I feel like I have a bit more freedom to take time away from the industry and still find projects that will satisfy my creative appetite when I return."
Michael Schwartz
That might have to be seen to be believed, given his last year of work alone. (Not to mention the fact that he still co-runs A Starting Point, the civic engagement platform he launched in 2020.) In 2022, Evans starred in Pixar's Lightyear, Netflix's Gray Man and filmed three new movies, including the newly announced Red One with fellow Sexiest Man Alive Dwayne Johnson and 2023's Ghosted for AppleTV+, which he is also producing and starring in with his Knives Out and Gray Man costar Ana de Armas.
"Ghosted is a romance/adventure in the vein of Romancing the Stone, he says. "I love working with Ana. She's an incredibly versatile actress and really fun on set. Neither of us have played characters like this and audiences are in for a really fun ride."
For much more on Evans and his life now, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday
