Christopher Michael “Chris” Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles in the movies Jurassic Park and Guardians of the galaxy. He was born on June 21, 1979 in Virginia, Minnesota. He first gained popularity from a number of his television roles like Bright Abbott in Everwood (2002), Ché in The O.C. (2003), and Andy Dwyer and Parks and Recreation (2009). He then appeared in a number of films but only had minor roles. His major break through as a lead role actor came when he voiced Emmet Brickowoski, in The Lego Movie (2014), and starred as Peter Quill / Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). In 2015, Chris Pratt headlined the sci-fi thriller Jurassic World (2015).
Chris was born to Kathleen Louise (née Indahl), who worked at a Safeway supermarket, and Daniel Clifton Pratt who passed away in 2014 from multiple sclerosis. He did not finish community college and dropped out during the first semester. He then worked as a discount ticket salesman and a daytime stripper. And so he landed on the streets, homeless in Hawaii, sleeping in a van. In an interview he commented on this by saying, “It is a pretty awesome place to be homeless. We just drank and smoked weed and worked minimal hours, just enough to cover gas, food, and fishing supplies.” When he was 19, Chris was working table in Hawaii when he was luckily discovered by Rae Dawn Chong (an actress and director) who cast him in her directorial debut, a short horror film called Cursed Part 3, which was filmed in Los Angeles.
His first regular television role was as Harold Brighton “Bright” Abbott on the series Everwood. After Everwood’s cancellation, he joined the cast of The O.C. for its fourth season, playing activist Winchester “Ché” Cook. In 2009, Pratt began playing Andy Dwyer on the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation. Originally meant to be a temporary character, producers liked Pratt so much they asked to be as a series regular.
Pratt portrayed Oakland Athletics first baseman/catcher Scott Hatteberg in the 2011 film Moneyball. At first, he was rejected for the part because he was ‘too fat’. Chris jokingly blamed his wife Anna Faris’s excellent cooking skills for that. Instead of giving up, Chris worked hard and began to work out tirelessly to lose weight. He lost a total of 30 pounds and on checking that the part was still not cast, he sent his picture to the casting director and was cast for the role.
It was after this that he got cast in leading roles in high budget movies and gained popularity with each. From a daytime stripper to being the lead role in some of the top grossing movies, Chris Pratt worked tirelessly and with determination.
The sequel to Chris’s movie ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is set to release worldwide this April and May. Chris plays Peter Quill or the Star Lord. His character is half human, half celestial leader of the guardians of the Galaxy. Who was abducted from the earth as a child and was raised by a group of ‘alien thieves’ and smugglers, called the Ravagers. Describing where Quill is at the start of the film, Pratt said, “he’s famous now in the galaxy for having saved so many people. He feels like he’s part of this group, a leader of this group. He’s a little more responsible and trying to stay out of trouble, but not necessarily doing the best job.” Chris stated that working on the film forced him to come to terms with the death of his father. Chris returns as part of a multi-film contract with Marvel. The basic plot of the film also revolves around Chris’s character as the whole gang adventures while trying to find out Peter Quill’s true parentage.
Another one of Chris’s hit movies is returning with a sequel next year, ‘Jurassic World 2’. The movie is the fifth installment of the Jurassic Park series. Chris will play Owen Grady in this film too. The plot of the movie is still unknown but it is bound to be a mega hit like its predecessors. Even though the plot is still unknown, speculations are being made about it. One of the speculations is a ‘Jurassic war’ (or that is just wishful thinking). Having cemented himself as squad alpha by the close of Jurassic World, It is expected that Owen’s raptors to be involved in some form. Let’s just say there better be Blue!
Chris talks about his upcoming films, especially Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Jurassic World 2. When asked if he was excited to show off his character and role in the movie Jurassic Park to his son, he revealed that he can not wait to show it to his son, whom he thinks will absolutely love it, especially since his son is already such a huge fan of dinosaurs. Chris Pratt and his wife Anna Faris have a two year old son but apparently, the super hero dad cannot wait for his son to grow up and see how cool his dad is. On being asked if there was a moment of panic while filming, Chris laughed and said that there was always this feeling deep inside through out the filming of Jurassic World.
Chris Pratt was also honored recently with a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. He gave one of the best thank you speeches in these words : “I am a man of faith and I believe that God works in mysterious ways and gives us signs and gifts in life — and those gifts oftentimes come in the form of people. So I’ll just spend the rest of my time expressing gratitude for the people in my life who are gifts.” After which he went on to thank the most important people in his life, starting with his mother, he said “She gave absolutely everything she had to raise us, every fiber of her being. And oftentimes we weren’t cash-rich, but we were never love-poor. You gave everything and you were always proud of me, way before this. When I was a waiter at Coco’s you just couldn’t get enough of me.” He then went on to thank his brother Cully by saying, “He is my star and always has been. He played a major supporting role in raising me, and was a big fan of mine and always guided me and I love you.”
He did not forget to mention his sister too in these words, “She taught me how to fight, she taught me how to value emotions, she taught me how to have a backbone and she made some profound sacrifices for our family, so that I could be down here chasing my dreams.”
At this emotional moment, he did not forget his director James Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. He said, “It’s changed so many lives: My life, my wife’s life, the lives of children in hospitals, the lives of my real estate agent, my great grand kids — they’re all going to benefit.”
His best thank you went to none other than his wife, with the following sweet words : “I want to thank my wife Anna, I love you. You’ve given me so much. You gave me the greatest star in the galaxy in my little boy, I love him and I love you. We have bonded to make this molecule that is more important to me than air or water, and without it none of this means anything to me. With every challenge, with every day, week, month, decade, we become more bonded. You make me laugh like nobody else. You’re very caring, and thank you for your trust and your sacrifice — and for your dedication and your heart. I will do my best to protect it, and in return I will give you all of those things as well. You have my heart, my dedication, my trust.”
So, from dropping out of community college, to ending up homeless. Then getting his lucky break while working tables, to losing a lot of weight after being rejected for a role, and now finally being honored with a star at the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame, Chris Pratt has worked hard, with passion and determination to achieve all that he has in his career. And was humbled when he received his star, giving his speech with tearful eyes.