Chris, or as some fans say, “Jamal” Evans, has recently become an obsession amongst young people across the nation. From his breakthrough role in the popular film Fantastic Four to his most recent appearance in Knives Out, he has captured the minds of fans through his acting skills and his cute puppy too.

Chris Evans was born on June 13, 1981, and raised in the Boston area. He originally wanted to be a dentist like his parents, but then realized he had another calling, acting. He was inspired by his older sister, Carly, who had started performing in school plays. By his junior year in high school, he knew he wanted to pursue an acting career and decided to take it seriously.

After plenty of convincing, Evans finally persuaded his parents to let him move to New York City for the summer and attend the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. He then got an internship with a casting agency, which began propelling his acting career. 

“At that point, college was still part of the plan,” stated Chris Evans in an article by the Boston Magazine. “But then I got really lucky. I got a pilot, and that got picked up and took me to L.A. So we decided, Maybe college can wait.”

Evans, who was just 18 years old at the time, landed his first major big-screen role in a film called Not Another Teen Movie. 

“It wasn’t exactly some high-brow art,” expressed Evans in a tribute by Hollywood Insider. “I was thrilled, but my buddies were still giving me a lot of crap and calling me a terrible actor.”

After his role in Not Another Teen Movie, he received a new role in an upcoming franchise known as the Fantastic Four as the Human Torch. From there, his acting career skyrocketed. Evans landed roles in a variety of films such as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Ransome Drysdale in Knives Out. As a result of his popularity in his acting career, the obsession for him amongst many teens and young adults began to explode. 

“I like his acting skills especially in the Marvel franchise like Captain America and of course, his attractiveness,” expressed junior Sophia Araujo. “I think a lot of people like Chris Evans because a lot of people love the MCU and he is in that.”

Evans is not immune to signs of celebrity obsession. For example, a Twitter account by the name of “Chris Evans News” has 53.8K followers and updates people on his life. This is what is known as a stan account. Stan accounts are accounts on any type of social media platform that is devoted to a pop star or celebrity.

Even famous singer and musician, Lizzo has found a recent obsession with Evans. It all started when she first announced her celebrity crush was Evans in 2019. Then around April 2021, Lizzo “slid” into Chris Evan DMs, and from there not only Lizzo, but the entire internet became obsessed with her and Evans’s “romantic” relationship. 

Like many A-list actors such as Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, and Leonardo Decaprio, Evans became a new mania in society. Many people, especially millennials, developed a “fascination” with celebrities such as Evans. Many people are left wondering if these fascinations are actually unhealthy obsessions.

An obsession is defined as an idea or thought that continuously occupies one’s mind. This consistent thinking can become extremely dangerous. This is because severe fascinations can generate an unrealistic ideology that can affect someone’s self-esteem and mindset. Additionally, this can cause many people to believe that celebrities are perfect, flawless people when in reality they are far from it.

“I do agree people idolize celebrities for different reasons whether that’s for looks, personality, or similar interests,” said junior Aiyana Roy. “I believe that the obsession of a certain celebrity is a flawed ideology since it is apparent that nobody is perfect. Social media is a perfect representation of how easy it is to hide imperfections and highlight minor successes. I think it’s optimal that individuals learn this trap, as well as get rid of celebrity fixation.”

Many social media posts and videos depict the celebrities’ “perfect” lives but in reality, what they post is what they want their audience to see. 

With the rise in celebrity worship of various forms such as Twitter fan pages, the facets of celebrity worship are not only a modern social phenomenon but also have psychological undertones. Psychologists assure that some form of celebrity adoration is not necessarily a bad thing.

“In most cases, it’s perfectly natural,” explained psychologist James Houran. “Humans are social creatures and we evolved — and still live in an environment where it pays to pay attention to the people at the top. Celebrity fascination may be an outgrowth of this tendency, nourished by the media and technology.”

Even with Evans’ growing fanbase, he has made no comment on it. Evans has continued to flourish in his career as an actor featuring in many feature films and is set to premiere in the new Buzz Lightyear movie coming to theaters in 2022.  

As a successful actor, he currently lives in his alluring Los Angeles home with Dodger, his mixed-breed boxer that he adopted in 2017.  Evans found his canine companion during the filming of the movie Gifted. He believed that it was love at first sight. 

“You know what my advice would be? Adopt a dog!” said Evans. “Everyone should go out and get a dog. If you don’t have a dog in your life, especially during this time, you’re missing out.”

To read more, visit the links below:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201307/celebrity-worship-syndrome

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chris-Evans-American-actor