Suited for stardom

Steve Rogers is a scrawny guy who is transformed into a World War II super-soldier in “Captain America: The First Avenger,” the latest comic book adaptation to invade theaters.

In a rather similar way, Chris Evans, the hunky actor who plays the title role, underwent some super-scrutiny himself to fill the shoes of the Marvel superhero in the 3-D film, which hits screens today.

A big issue was the Captain America suit, which had to retain its retro patriotic zeal and yet look plausible to modern audiences.

“It was a little overwhelming,” recalls Evans, 30, talking by phone a few days ago during a publicity tour that would include playing beer pong on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and ringing the New York Stock Exchange opening bell.

“The first couple of fittings you’d have, you’d go in there and you’d put on the suit. And then they would file in about 20 people to take notes. You have three or four people dedicated just to the gloves and three or four people just to the boots.”

And then there was the matter of the iconic shield, which required numerous prototypes and screen tests.

“It’s amazing how different shields changed the whole look of the outfit, so that was another process,” says Evans, who wields the bullet-stopping weapon in some dazzling action scenes.

Aside from the wardrobe, there was the challenge of capturing Captain America’s personal qualities. Evans says he and Steve Rogers have at least one aspect in common.

“I think I have a pretty unsilenceable conscience,” he says. “I think part of Captain America is that he does things not for anybody else, not because he’s waiting for praise or reward. He just does it because it’s right. It’s the type of thing that if he didn’t do it, and the only person who knew about it was him, he wouldn’t be able to live with that. …

“In some ways, sometimes my brain or my heart just won’t let me not do something. If you know something is right, it just has to be done, then you have to do it.”

In a month dominated so far by “Transformers” mayhem, “Captain America” could bring a welcome humanity back to the superhero genre, much as “Super 8” did for sci-fi adventures.

Although the movie has all the requisite state-of-the-art stunts and special effects, it’s driven by the earnest goodness of Steve Rogers, a character who debuted in March 1941, before America entered the war.

In the movie, Rogers starts out as someone whose heart and courage far outweigh his 98-pound frame. He is desperate to enlist in the Army, but he has 4F written all over him.

Then, in a stroke of fate that changes his life forever, Rogers is spotted by a scientist (Stanley Tucci) and becomes part of a top-secret project.

Through a process involving a super-serum that enhances the existing powers within a person, he is turned into the perfect human specimen that is Captain America and drawn into a battle against the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), a Nazi officer whose brush with a serum prototype has made him even more vicious and evil.

In a feat of acting and computer magic, Evans is able to portray both the skinny Steve and the super Steve. A variety of visual effects were used to whittle him down to a slight, shorter man, such as putting his head on a body double and thinning the size of his face.

To achieve the look of the bulked-up Steve, Evans worked out intensively for about two hours a day for months with a trainer, “doing things in the gym that I would never normally do,” as he puts it.

As dazzling as the physical transformation is onscreen, it doesn’t change the essence of the character, Evans stresses.

“I’d love to believe that even in the last frame of the film, you still kind of see the skinny Steve,” he says. “I think the difference is, once he becomes big, he really experiences his first taste of real loss and heartache on a personal level with … well, I don’t want to give away spoilers.”

Much has been written about how Evans hesitated to accept the role, which comes with a commitment to appear in several more movies, including Marvel’s upcoming “The Avengers” – the superhero ensemble extravaganza starring Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Ruffalo that could potentially lock him into the superhero mold for years to come.

He says he’s proud of how the film turned out.

“It was a great experience as an actor. In that sense, it was rewarding and certainly the right thing to do,” says Evans.

“When asked if he was concerned about the “Captain America” concept flying in the contemporary world, he quickly replies, “I think I worry about that every movie, regardless of the genre, regardless of what’s coming out, what the trends are.

“Every single movie I make, there’s the fear that this might not stick, regardless of the quality. That’s pretty much the status quo.”

Evans enthusiastically credits director Joe Johnston (“The Rocketeer,” “Hidalgo”) with creating a 1940s mood for the movie.

“It’s really a testament to him, to realistically take us back,” he says.

And he can’t say enough about co-stars Tommy Lee Jones, who plays a gruff Army officer, and British actress Hayley Atwell, who portrays his feisty love interest.

Captain America is quite a stretch from Evans’ high-profile role as the wisecracking Johnny Storm in two “Fantastic Four” movies – a character who couldn’t be more different from the sincere Captain America.

He sounds a little wistful when asked if his new situation means he won’t be able to do a crossover appearance as Johnny in future “Avengers” movies.

“I think it’s going to have to preclude that, which would be too bad because I really loved playing that guy, I really did,” Evans says. “He’s a lot of fun.”