Budomate: You were a professional boxer for 15 years—what made you want to switch to acting?
Chris Evangelou: After a bad hand injury I was forced to take a long time out of boxing. I found myself going back to my first love of acting. I quickly started to book roles and landed an agent. I realised that this was still a passion of mine and decided this is what I want to do.
Budomate: What titles and ranks did you achieve in your boxing career, and how did it all start?
Chris Evangelou:
- X6 international Gold Medals
- 2006ABAs
- Professional International welter-weight masters title
I had n argument outside my college. I wasn’t was confident as I would have liked to be so I decided to start boxing to gain confidence. That’s really how it all started.
Budomate: Which boxing legends have you met throughout your travels, and who’s your idol?
Chris Evangelou: Mike Tyson was always a boxing idol of mine, I did get to meet him in Vegas when I was training at The Mayweather camp. That same week I got to meet Mayweather too. I’m friends with Freddie Roach, as I trained with him and Jesse Reid Sr just before I turned pro.
Budomate: Shifting to your film career, how did you land your first acting role?
Chris Evangelou: I joined websites that posted acting roles, which I could apply for without an agent. My first big role was a Samsung commercial. It’s very hard at the start of acting career, but you have to keep persistent and not lose hope.
Budomate: You played a boxer Primetime in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen. What was it like working with a legend like Guy Ritchie?
Chris Evangelou: It was one of the best experiences of my life. Working with one of my favourite directors felt like a dream. As Lock stock and Snatch are two of my favourite films, it was a honour to be a part of Guy Ritchie’s collection of gangster films. Loved playing Primetime!
Budomate: Could you tell us about Shadow Boxer, the short film you wrote and produced? What’s the story behind it, and why should people watch it?
Chris Evangelou: Shadow Boxer was a story that I wrote, which was inspired by my experiences in my career and life. It was a way of me showing the world that a boxer, whose tough, durable, strong and disciplined can still suffer with mental health problems and anxiety. It’s a great one shot film that I think people would understand and some might reside with.
Budomate: In 2020, you worked on the TV show Devils for Sky Originals. Can you tell us a bit about that experience?
Chris Evangelou: I played a Hitman on Devils, it was a great experience to be on a show like that. It was fast paced and I had to run a lot!
Budomate: You also appeared on BBC’s EastEnders—can you share more about your role there?
Chris Evangelou: I played a boxer called Troy, I actually really enjoyed playing this role. I would have loved to have seen more of Troy in Eastenders, maybe that will happen one day. Working on such an iconic soap was a great experience, especially speaking with actors that Ive watched growing up.
Budomate: Recently, you played Harry Felix in the TV series La Máquina. Can you talk about that character and the show?
Chris Evangelou: I play the world champion boxer from London, Harry Felix. What an experience that was. 2 months of my life in Mexico, dedicated to the show. I prepared as if I was in a training camp, it was very intense. Attending the Hollywood and Mexican Premieres was really aa dream come true.
Budomate: If you could star in a remake of any famous martial arts film, which one would you choose?
Chris Evangelou: One of my favourite martial art films growing up is The Drunken Master with Jackie Chan. Id definitely love to remake that.
Budomate: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Chris Evangelou: I train a lot, almost everyday. I love going out to eat but my favourite thing to do to relax is go to the cinema. I can just switch off for a couple hours.
Budomate: And finally, what are three recent movies you’d recommend people to watch?
Chris Evangelou: ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’, ‘A quiet place 3’, but the first one is the best. My last one isn’t too recent but ‘Upgrade’ is a really good film with a great story.
