Chris Evans continues to embody the heroics of his on-screen persona, Captain America, in real life; while the Marvel star was last spotted taking former KKK leader David Duke to task and sounding off on politics on his Twitter account, this time, he’s calling out the injustice of bullying others.
A video posted on Facebook by young Tennessee student Keaton Jones on Friday detailed how he was bullied at school. “They make fun of my nose. They call me ugly. They say I have no friends,” Jones said in the video. “Just out of curiosity, why do they bully? What’s the point of it? Why do you find joy in taking innocent people and finding a way to be mean to them? It’s not OK…People that are different don’t need to be criticized about it. It’s not their fault.” The video quickly went viral, garnering Jones plenty of celebrity support along the way.
One of the luminaries touched by the clip was none other than Evans, who took to his Twitter to offer Jones some warm encouragement and an invitation for him and his mother to attend the premiere of his upcoming film Avengers: Infinity War. “Stay strong, Keaton,” Evans wrote. “Don’t let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better.”
Read Evans’ full tweet below.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- 22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com