It might be hard to imagine anyone else as Captain America, but Chris Evans actually passed on the role twice before Iron Man stepped in.

The 37-year-old actor behind the leader of Marvel’s Avengers appears on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter where he revealed that he really didn’t want the part at first.

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“Getting the [Captain America] offer felt to me like the epitome of temptation. The ultimate job offer, on the biggest scale. I’m supposed to say no to this thing. It felt like the right thing to do,” Evans said.

Image zoom Captain America Marvel Studios

He did say no, twice, before Disney convinced him to take a studio tour where he still refused to take the role.

“You see the pictures, and you see the costumes, and it’s cool. But I’d now woken up the day after saying no and felt good, twice,” Evans explained.

Then came a phone call from Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., and Evans finally decided to take on Steve Rogers.

Image zoom Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. Dave J Hogan/Getty

“I’ve spent a lot of time just in repose with this guy, on set,” Downey Jr. told THR about his Avengers costar. “You know ­­— the shield’s on the table, and we’re waiting for the technocrane to get put in place. And I’ve had some of my greatest moments of gratitude when he was looking at me in my suit, and I was looking at him in his suit, and we’re just like, ‘Jesus, is this still working? How lucky are we?'”