Luke Evans is one famous celebrity who managed to claim a long road to success for a 35-year-old actor. Rumors are circulating about Universal Studios’ intention to take on Marvel’s successful superhero franchise with a new round of high-budget fantasy movies. And with the possibility of taking Luke Evans to star in the film.
In 2010, in the same year of his remake of Clash of the Titans, Evans received his first significant role as a rugged, love-stricken farmhand in Stephen Frears’ Tamara Drewe, garnering him recognition from reviewers and a devoted following. From there, he started to star in different movies and several smaller and independent films before landing the most significant career role.
However, who really is Luke Evans? Evans appears to maintain a tranquil life when away from the camera. Before relocating to London at the age of 17, where he is still employed today, he was raised in the small Welsh Valleys town of Aberbargoed.
His success in the movie industry career has resulted in long-term connections with several fashions and watch brands, notably Bulgari, which has brought him to Hong Kong for a series of events. Evans, on the other hand, is not the type of actor who is frequently seen tumbling out of nightclubs in Los Angeles or partying on boats in the Mediterranean.
Starting a career on stage in London and his journey in musical theatre
Before Luke Evans had Hollywood came calling to his door, he had a long road experience on a musical theatre stage in London for nine years. He had the opportunity to perform on stages such as Rent, Taboo, and Miss Saigon.
However, his career in London stopped when a film director cast him to play the Greek god Apollo adaption in 2010. Luke also admitted that it was challenging to leave the musical theatre. Still, he also clarified that there was a minor stigma associated with actors in musical theatre since many people believe that they can’t act without music, which Luke counters that it’s not true at all.
“So I’d sort of assumed that that was going to be my career really, on the stage. I think to most people, being in movies is such a dreamy idea, and it always was going to just be a dream for me. I really didn’t think it would be anything but that,” he addressed.
Luke Evans answered a question about whether or not he felt fulfilled during the nine years he spent performing on stage before making the transition to cinema. Additionally, many stars in their early 20s were snatched up off the stage to launch a career in films. His only response regarding that matter is that it’s lucky for them.
He added, “Long may it last. That just wasn’t my journey. I’m glad, in a way that I was 29, 30, before I started doing films because I appreciate how lucky I am to be doing what I do for a living. But if you’re 23 and you get to be in Hollywood movies, then… incredible, amazing, how lucky!”
He also shared his experiences between the age of 23 and 24 when he was still in musical theatre. “At 23, I was on a tour of Miss Saigon around the UK. And at 24, I was unemployed for a year, so it was a very different world,” he says.
But does Luke Evans tempted to go back in his career performing in theatre? He admitted that he could and also thought about it. And he said, “It’s about finding a window in my year because theatre takes up much more time than film does: there’s the prep, there’s the rehearsals, there’s all of those things.”
“I did nine years of theatre, and so I think it’s also about finding the right role. I was in New York recently, and I was talking to a lot of theatre directors about maybe doing something, maybe in New York,” he added.
The start of his film acting journey after his nine-year musical theatre career
After his nine-year career performing on-stage in musical theatre, Luke Evans’s Celtic appearance and skills grabbed the attention of the movie director, Louis Leterrier, that came to take an interest in him and see it as a selling point. Then Evans was listed to play the Greek god Apollo in the 2010 adaption of Clash of the Titans.
Evans also shared his thoughts about his first movie role in Clash of the Titans. Since it was his first ever role to play in a film, it was hard for him to cope with sudden changes, considering that he worked on broadway, which was far different from acting in a movie.
And even though Evans only had a supporting role in the blockbuster, the mere fact that he was a member of the cast helped him break into the movie business. Regarding what was previously mentioned, Evan received his first leading-man part in 2010, which attracted the attention of critics and a sizable fanbase.
“Yeah, completely. I was ready for it, though. I thought, well, it’s acting, at the end of the day. I was just learning as I was going along: watching, observing, staying quiet,” he explained.
Then he continued, “Watching how Liam Neeson did it and how Ralph Fiennes did it and all these other brilliant actors I was working with in Clash of the Titans. When you don’t know the set-up, you just stay a little quieter and pick it up.”
As someone acclaimed best for his role in The Hobbit, Luke Evans talks about his role
After his first leading role, he soon moved on to appear in Immortals, The Three Musketeers, and several smaller, independent movies. And later, he landed the part that has had the most impact on his career so far. For instance, The Hobbit trilogy.
Luke Evans talked about his audition experience and how he initially believed he didn’t get the part because he hadn’t heard anything about it for a whole year.
“Probably the longest audition process ever because I auditioned when it was still Guillermo del Toro directing, and I didn’t hear a single thing for a whole year. I just auditioned once, and I never had any feedback – nothing at all. So I assumed that somebody else was playing the role,” he says.
However, he continues with his life even after not hearing feedback or anything from the audition. Evans could do lots of work throughout the year, and his profile somewhat increased.
Evans came up to a conclusion where he thinks they probably reviewed the tapes again after he received a call from Peter Jackson, the one who was directing the film at that point. He was asked if he could go to New Zealand for a screen test for his character.
He said, “Then through that year, obviously I’d done lots of work, so my profile had gone up a little bit, and I think that they went back over the tapes. And Peter [Jackson] was directing the film at that point, and between him, Fran [Walsh], and Philippa [Boyens], I jumped out, and they called and asked me if I would fly to New Zealand and screen test for the character.”
However, being unable to accept the request scared Evans because he couldn’t go to New Zealand on a Sunday morning. He is scheduled to fly to New Orleans to shoot a thriller for that specific day.
“I had to say no. I had to say no to what was potentially going to be the biggest game-changing role, so I was so scared. But they very kindly said, ‘OK, we’ll let you go on tape in London, and we’ll go from there.’ So that Saturday afternoon, I went into an audition, did the character, and I woke up on Sunday morning to the offer.” he explained.
Fortunately for Luke, he was able to get into that movie and had the ‘biggest game-changing role.’
DRACULA is another well-known character Luke Evans’ played in addition to Bard the Bowman. What drew him to Dracula?
Although Bard, the trilogy’s dragon-slaying Bowman, doesn’t appear in the first of the three movies, Evans’ portrayal of the widowed father of three small children won him praise. It established his status as one of Hollywood’s rising stars.
Moreover, Evans had time to appear as a wicked British soldier in Fast & Furious 6 and perform the title character in Dracula Untold in between flying back and forth to New Zealand to film The Hobbit. The dystopian novel High-Rise by JG Ballard is set to have its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival, where Luke Evans will play a leading role.
On top of that, his character in Dracula Untold, in which he will be portrayed as Dracula itself, is another notable role he played. His experience while filming this movie was taxing since he needed to fly back and forth to New Zealand and still had to film another movie, The Hobbit. However, what drew him to Dracula Untold?
“It was a very different take on the story. It was the origins story of the most famous vampire, and you start with the character before he becomes the vampire. I was intrigued, and when I read the script, I could visualize moments that I thought, OK, I could do that; I could bring some humanity to this character.”
Furthermore, Dracula is another leading role he is going to portray, which concerns him with the fact that it won’t go well. However, contrary to what he had anticipated, the movie went smoothly, and he was pleased with the outcome.
“And the chance to take the leading role in a studio film – for the first time, I was given the opportunity to prove to myself, to the studio, and to the audience that I could carry a movie. It was a big deal. It was a huge moment for me,” he said.
Then he continued, “Probably bigger than The Hobbit because it was all about my character, and I was the title role. I had a lot to prove, and I jumped at the chance, but it was scary. It was scary when it came out – I was worried that it wasn’t going to work and that people weren’t going to like it. But it did really well, so I’m super happy.”
Universal Studios plan on the “Shared Monster Universe” series along the lines of Marvel’s Superhero Films and his role in another movie in the upcoming-highrise
Universal Studios reportedly has a plan regarding Marvel’s Superhero film with the new round of high-budget fantasy movies, and taking Luke Evans to star in the film has a high chance of possibility.
When asked if Evans could say regarding the topic being discussed, he didn’t disclose anything about the idea and said he had been pledged to secrecy. He explained, “Actually, I know a little bit more, but I’m sworn to secrecy. It’s a very big idea, and the plan is very exciting. Universal has all these incredible characters that they’ve owned since the beginning of cinema history.”
On the contrary, he described the possible role he will play instead, “The plan is big, and the plan is in motion. It’ll be fun, and if they do it, I’d be super happy to play Vlad, or whatever we want to call him at that point because he’s immortal, and he can turn up anywhere. The potential is huge.”
Since Evans is starring in the High-Rise, he described his role in that film, and his experiences happened during. He said, “I play Richard Wilder. He’s a big, larger-than-life character who’s a war documentarian who’s out of work.”
He continued, “He’s a bit of a player. He’s described as the agitator by JG Ballard. He’s mad, but he also has pure, sane moments in the film where you see the world through his eyes, and all of a sudden, you realize that he’s not as crazy as everybody makes out.”
Evans revealed that he had fun with his role and was somehow challenged. He also commended Ben Wheatley, which was their director for that film, for being an absolute genius, “It was a very fun role, and [director] Ben Wheatley is a genius, a real genius.”
“He just allowed me to just go for it, and the role allowed me to do that, and sometimes he pushed me even further than I thought I could go. It’ll be a very fun film for me to watch – maybe not for everybody else! Because it’s quite a dark storyline, the book is really f*cking dark,” he added.
Luke Evans regarding social media matters
Despite being busy playing his roles, Luke Evans seems quite active on social media. The fact that he was using it is interesting enough since many other actors and actresses are staying away from it these days. However, he was not aware of being active and said, “Am I?” then he continued that he has his moments.
He also revealed an excellent connection with Stephen Fry and said he’s an amazing person and loves chatting with him in anything. Since Stephen is also active on social media, Evans uses the same platform to connect with him.
“I guess it’s Stephen Fry’s fault, actually. He’s just an amazing human being, and I love chatting to him about anything, but he’s very active on social media. He uses it as a way to speak from him – no one can misquote him if it comes from him, and the way he does that is through social media,” he explained.
Evans also clarified that using social media isn’t about bragging or showing off but a tool to communicate with his fans in a personal way. He said, “You can use it as a tool. It’s not about showing off and saying, “Look at me, I’m in Hong Kong.” For me, it was about connecting with my fans in a very personal way.”
He continued, “If I want to, I can talk to somebody on the other side of the planet by responding to a Twitter message. I don’t very often; that’s not what I do. But sometimes, if somebody does something amazing, then I’ll say, “Great!” This woman has just had a tattoo of me.”
Evans retweeted a tweet from a fan who got a tattoo of him on her body. Although he doesn’t advise anyone to get a tattoo, he found it amusing to notice how much his face resembled the design. He says, “I probably shouldn’t have because I don’t have tattoos, and I don’t recommend anybody have tattoos, but it is an uncanny resemblance of my face.”
“I was impressed, shocked, alarmed, and honored, all in one go. It’s a very strange thing. I’d rather people didn’t do it. I almost feel a sense of responsibility for it. I feel a little bit like it’s my fault, but it’s their choice, it’s their skin, it’s their canvas, they can do what they like,” he added.
Luke Evans, on his anti-bullying campaigns
Since Evans is active on social media, he was often seen sharing anti-bullying campaigns on Twitter. Everyone finds it amusing since another person who is a well-known celebrity is using his platform to spread awareness regarding such matters.
It was revealed that the reason why he is more particular with the anti-bullying campaign is that he experienced being bullied as a kid. He explained, “I’m an only child brought up in the valleys of South Wales. I was a Jehovah’s Witness – they’re very peaceful people, there’s no aggression, no violence, you’re taught to love one another.”
He then continued to explain his experiences as a bullied kid, “So I was the perfect target for the bullies in school. It was very difficult; very, very hard. But I was a fighter. I wanted to have a dream and a life, and I didn’t let them spoil that. But I know that bullying – especially in those formative years, teenage years, and childhood – can really mess you up as an adult.”
Since he was actively spreading awareness with the anti-bullying campaign, he was asked to become a Prince’s Trust ambassador for Prince Charles’ Trust. It is a charity that offers guidance, training, and opportunity to young people who may not have had the best start in life.
He explained, “When they asked me if I’d become [an ambassador], I said, “Absolutely, I’d love to, but I would like to really target things that matter to me.” And I thought, you know what, bullying is something that I’ve personally experienced.”
“It could have gone two ways for me: I could have become a recluse, I could have committed suicide. Bullying can affect children and teenagers so much – and I’ve come through the other side. I thought: I’ve got a story to tell and hopefully I can inspire or just give a little confidence to somebody,” he added.
Is Hollywood open to all different types of people?
Since Luke Evans spent nine years in musical theatre and didn’t anticipate portraying any characters in films, he then talked about how the world is changing for everyone and that Hollywood is open to different types of individuals.
“Without dwelling on it too long, the world is changing – it’s constantly changing. We’re so lucky because our business can incorporate everybody. It’s a very diverse medium in which we work, and everybody can be part of it. I don’t understand how the machine of Hollywood works; I don’t think anybody does,” he explained.
He continued, “It’s not one person; it’s a whole corporation, a big business that’s been going for a very long time. I’m just happy to be part of it and living my dream. I’m not compromising for anything or anyone. I’m doing what I want and having the best time. My experience in this business has been very, very positive.”