No one can say that Chris Evans has missed the fame boat, but it's true that he hasn't always nabbed every role he's auditioned for. Every actor has to start somewhere, after all, and for Evans, that was with an early educational film, then a few episodes of an early-2000s sitcom.

He's had a few near-misses, almost starring in a Martin Scorsese film, too. But one specific film might've been one opportunity Chris regrets that he missed out on. After all, he didn't pass on the opportunity; he flat-out lost the role to James Franco.

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Though Sean Penn grew to fame for countless other roles, some of his most memorable were alongside other high-profile stars. For example, his guest role on 'Friends' was a lucky break.

So when it came down to the choice of James Franco versus Chris Evans for a gig in 'Milk,' it probably didn't matter much to Penn who was cast. Either way, Sean was playing a gay activist, so he knew he'd have some potentially awkward scenes with other actors playing Harvey Milk's love interests.

By that point, in 2008, Penn was enough of a star that he could lead a film (all the way to the Oscars) on his own. Penn played Harvey Milk, whose main love interest in the film (which was based on Milk's real-life activism, love life, and assassination) was Scott Smith.

Scott Smith was played by none other than James Franco; the role of Milk's "much younger" lover was a perfect gig for the then-30-year-old Franco. Penn, for his part, was about 48.

Chris Evans, of course, auditioned for the role but it didn't work out, notes IMDb. The then-27-year-old had already appeared in 'Fantastic Four' at that point, but he hadn't yet become Captain America.

And sources suggest that Sean Penn wasn't necessarily the first choice for portraying Milk, either; other actors who were considered include Richard Gere, Al Pacino, James Woods, and even Richard Gere.

Sean excelled in the role, though, even if he didn't get to get up-close and personal with the future Captain America.

As for Chris Evans, it's clear that his path led to action movies versus political activism ones, but he's also not averse to dipping his toe in other genres like mystery, comedy, and crime.

And the fact that he was open to auditioning for such a role as Scott Smith suggests that Chris may be interested in more biographical projects in the future -- and fans would love to see his acting range widen even more.

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