Photo courtesy of Rico Torres

Chyler Leigh and Chris Evans star in Columbia Picture's "Not Another Teen Movie." The spoof opens nationwide mid-December.

Actor Chris Evans, who recently landed the role of "The Popular Jock" in Universal's upcoming teen-genre spoof, "Not Another Teen Movie," said he is hoping his hard work has finally paid off.

"Not Another Teen Movie" opens in theaters nationwide Dec. 14. The movie is a parody of the recent string of teen-oriented films.

"It was everything I expected and more," Evans said.

This role is not only Evans' feature-film debut but also his first starring role.

"This was just a great intro to movie-making," Evans said.

Evans began his career in theater starring in regional Massachusetts productions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "A Wrinkle in Time" and other plays. His professional career began in plays at the Boston Playwrights' Theatre. From there, Evans found his way to television, starring in short-lived programs for Fox and NBC. More recently, he has guest-starred on "Boston Public" and the CBS' now defunct "The Fugitive" series.

The move from TV to film is one Evans hopes can be sustained.

"I'd rather stick to film," Evans said. "In TV, you have to play the same character, and you get kind of stuck with it. In film, you have the freedom to play different parts."

The lack of a set time constraint in films is also something Evans said he enjoys.

"In TV, you have a schedule to run by to get so many episodes done in a certain amount of time," Evans said. "In film, you have the freedom to take your time, so things work at a much slower pace."

Something has surprised Evans about the film industry, however.

"I always thought that the actor would have the final say," Evans said. "But they don't. On the set, the director is king."

Evans maintains that there will always be some things in Hollywood he can't explain, but offered advice to aspiring actors.

"There will always be plenty of talented actors not working and plenty of non-talented actors working," Evans said. "You have to wait for the right audition. Wait until you find the right character, so you can't go wrong. The best advice has to do with keeping yourself grounded. Yeah, actors get pampered and coddled, but don't let it go to your head."

Now that success has found Evans, he finds himself uneasy as to how to project confidence to the viewing public while trying to promote the new film.

"It's so different," Evans said. "You don't know what to do. You don't know if you should kick back and be real loose or be over the top. The bottom line is it's a job. You're here to sell something. If you are compromising who you are, it's OK because it is a job. The people are writing a report on the movie - not you."

In the end, Evans has no regrets.

"I would make this movie again in a flash," Evans said. "Everyone got along so well and had so much fun. It was just a great time."

Next on Evan's plate is a film remake of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Night Dream," with a bit of a modern twist.

It's called a "Midsummer's Night Rave," Evans said.

In the original play, Evans said, people drink a potion and end up doing things they are not supposed to do. Evans's revamped edition, however, sees an updated catalyst for the story's abnormal events.

"We take ecstasy," Evans said.