Chris Evans
Captain America star is simply gracious and down to earth
He has played a superhero and starred in a record-breaking blockbuster and yet Chris Evans, whom Smart recently enlisted for its “Live Smarter for a Better World” campaign, is “gracious and down to earth.”
“The one thing I could never forget happened during lunch time (of the shoot),” reveals Joyce Ramirez, lead publicist of Publicity Asia, who bridged Smart and Evans for this campaign. “I was running back and forth and happened to pass by the area where the buffet was set up for production staff. Guess who I saw lining up at the very end? Chris! I was blown away with how down to earth this guy is. Wow. He’s a rare one.”
Why Evans for Smart? Aside from the fact that Smart Communications’ president and CEO Al S. Panlilio has been a Captain America fan since childhood, Evans also has his own advocacy, A Starting Point (ASP), which aims to save the world in his own unique way.
Super amazing. Chris was very friendly, a really nice guy! Of course, very good-looking. He really loved the campaign and its message and was very hands on with the copy.
This runs true to the thread of Smart’s own campaign, which intends to inspire people to commit to sustainable actions with lasting, positive impact on society.
(ASP is a civic engagement website that features videos from more than 150 elected officials from both sides of the political aisle discussing integral issues in short, easily digestible videos.)
When asked if visiting the Philippines was part of Chris’ contract, Panlilio said, “No, it’s not but he wants to visit. I have an open invitation for him to come over and also bring him to Amanpulo.”
Joyce said another reason the Hollywood A-Lister trusted Smart was the fact that “it was not a product push but the campaign has gravitas and substance. How do we live smarter to make the world better?”
The shoot was 10-hours long, including glam time and meal breaks, says Jane Jimenez Basas, Smart senior vice president and head of consumer wireless.
“It was super amazing. Chris was very friendly, a really nice guy! Of course, very good-looking. He really loved the campaign and its message and was very hands on with the copy,” recalls Jane, who flew to Boston for the shoot along with corporate marketing head Lloyd Manaloto.
Since 10 hours is the maximum international standard for a shooting day, Basas adds, “We had to finish the shoot for the TVC, the photoshoot, the audio recording and video interviews within that period. But our international crew was world-class. Really a great experience for a marketing professional like me.”
And world-class was the star of the shoot as well, adds Joyce, who has been working in Hollywood for the last 15 years.
“Chris is everything good as they say. In fact, better. He came in on time. Made no fuss whatsoever. Was very low key and down to earth. Gracious enough to oblige all the requests made by Smart.”
“For years, I have been told by my US colleagues that if the opportunity presents itself, I should work with Chris. He has a stellar reputation in Hollywood: Cool. Professional. Easy to work with,” Joyce shares.
Joyce flew to Boston end of January to help Smart manage the campaign. “I produced all key visuals as well as the digital and PR component. TVC was handled by GREY in cooperation with Plan B, Unitel, Joinery and the director Pascal Heiduk while I worked with my own US team.”
As Smart’s first ever Hollywood A-List brand ambassador, Chris appears in the world-class commercial helmed by Pascal Heiduk. The German-born director has worked with the likes of Hugh Jackman and Lewis Hamilton and has done commercial film work for renowned brands such as BMW, Montblanc and Mercedes Benz AMG.
According to Joyce, Chris has heard, “a lot of great things about the country and was more than happy to do the campaign.”
Asked if she knew if this was Chris’ first Asian endorsement, Joyce replied, “I don’t think so but for the Philippines this is his first.”
Filbert Kung, who had a two-hour shoot with Chris for the campaign’s print components, has glowing reviews of him.
“He was simple and down to earth. I’ve seen him before when I photographed for the Golden Globes and the foreign press always described him consistently: down to earth!” said Filbert in an interview with PeopleAsia.
Chris is the star of the blockbuster Captain America films, which have catapulted to enormous success in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Avengers: End Game remains the highest grossing film of all time and among the superhero franchises — earning over $2.79 billion at the worldwide box office.
Banner and thumbnail caption: Chris was said to be very professional during the 10-hour shooting day in Boston.
