Before donning Peter Quill (aka Starlord)’s red helmet in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Chris Pratt almost quit auditioning for Marvel films because he “had a rough ride” with the studio.
As Pratt said on the program Jimmy Kimmel Live!: “I auditioned for Thor, but not even to play Thor, just one of the side characters, and I didn’t get a response. They usually give you very little information, and I remember the casting director saying, ‘You made a really big choice there.’ He says to me, ‘Temper your act there, man’.
He added, “It got to the point where I was never going to audition for Marvel again. I thought to myself, ‘This is stupid, I’ll never be in a Marvel movie’.”
When asked about the Marvel films he’d auditioned for, Pratt said, “All of them. Anything that came out that needed a guy that even a little bit like me, I auditioned for it one way or the other. I’d either send a tape and they’d say, ‘No, we don’t need to see him.'” ’ Or I would go there and see them and they would say, ‘No, this is the last time we want to see you.’”
During the casting process for the original 2014 film, casting director Sarah Haley Finn urged director James Gunn to see Pratt, who was then known for playing lovable jerk Andy Dwyer in Park and Recreation.
It got to the point where I was never going to audition for Marvel again.
Although disinterested at first, Gunn realized that Pratt was the perfect Starlord from the very first moments of the audition. Gunn fought to cast Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy, which was especially challenging when the actor choked during a screen test.
In an interview with Hollywood ReporterIn a screen test, Pratt recalled how Gunn told him, “I don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re screwing it up.”
Gunn then added, “This is the moment now. Just stop doing everything you’re doing and act normal. Just be you.”
Since landing the role of Starlord, Chris Pratt has starred in 3 films, both Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in cinemas on May 5.
