Chris Evans Says Dwayne Johnson Would ‘Splash the Pot’ Up to $40,000 for ‘Red One’ Crew Raffles (Exclusive)
Dwayne Johnson treated the crew of his new holiday action film big time, says costar Chris Evans.
In an interview with PEOPLE while promoting their new film Red One in Berlin, Evans, 43, said Johnson, 52, put up a whopping $40,000 in a raffle pot for their crew members to boost morale on set.
“He does this thing on movie sets, at the end of the week the crew will all put in 5, 10 bucks in this little bucket. They get raffle tickets. It’s called ‘five-dollar Friday,’ ” Evans says. “Someone draws a name at the end of the day and they win a couple-thousand bucks.”
He continues, “And DJ would splash the pot in ways that no other actor can keep up with, because as actors we’re like, ‘I’ll splash the pot. I’ll put in a chunk of change here. I’m not in the running for it,’ but just a way to say thank you to the crew each week.”
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“This is crazy. I’m not exaggerating. [Johnson] was like, ‘Oh, well what’s the pot? Five grand? How about it’s called 20,’ ” recalls Evans. “… So he picks a name and someone’s going crazy and he’s like, ‘Should we do it again? How about 40?’ … I’m not exaggerating — the number got up big, and he pulled out five or six names.”
Evans says the crew members left very happy with Johnson’s generosity. “The crew is just so excited to work for DJ, and he works just as hard back for them,” he says.
“Well, I love that,” adds Johnson. “Our crew is the backbone of our business, so you want to take care of them.”
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In Red One, Evans and Johnson star as bounty hunter Jack O’Malley and an E.L.F. Task Force Commander as they join forces to find Santa Claus (J. K. Simmons) — Code Name: RED ONE — who has been abducted, in time for Christmas.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the world premiere of Red One in Berlin Nov. 3, Johnson said he predicted before making the project that he and Evans would work well together.
“Chris is a very funny guy. He’s also very talented. And I thought earlier that maybe me and Chris might have some good chemistry. So did he. [And] we did,” he said.
Red One is in theaters Nov. 15.
