Chris Pratt had wanted to be among the superhero stars in Marvel. However, after numerous rejections, he thought he would never appear in the franchise, but that was before he landed his role in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Chris Pratt Thought He Would Never Appear in a Marvel Movie
Pratt joined Marvel when he was cast as Peter Quill, a.k.a Star-Lord, in Guardians of the Galaxy. In his recent appearance on Jimmy Kimme Live, the actor admitted that he had wanted to join Marvel for years but had faced multiple rejections in the past.
He told the host he auditioned in several Marvel movies, including Thor. He noted that he auditioned for various characters, not necessarily the lead roles.
Pratt said, per Variety.
"I auditioned for them all. I had a rough run with Marvel. I auditioned for 'Thor,' but not even to be Thor — but to be one of the sidekick guys, and I didn't get a callback. Usually they give you a little bit of feedback, and I remember the casting director goes, 'Wow. You really made a big choice there.' Which is code for like: 'Hey, dial back the acting there, guy.'"
He admitted that he gave up on his dream to appear in a Marvel movie. He was already convinced he had no chance and decided to stop his auditions.
"It got to the point where I was never gonna audition for Marvel again. I was like, 'This is stupid, I'm never gonna be in a Marvel movie.'"
Chris Pratt Speaks About Marvel Auditions
Jimmy Kimmel asked Pratt about the films he auditioned. The Avengers: Endgame star said, "All of them."
He said:
"I mean, all of them. Anything that came out that needed a guy that even remotely looked like me, I auditioned for in some way or another. And I would either submit a tape and they would say 'No, we don't need to see him,' or I would get there and see them, they'd go, 'No, that's the last time we need to see you.'"
He noted that he was into heroic characters but not DC characters. He mentioned auditioning for roles in Star Trek and Avatar too.
Pratt explained:
"Anything that was like, 'This guy walks in and he's got the it-factor.' Over and over again I was like, 'Well, I definitely don't have that it-factor they're looking for because they don't even want me to come back.'"
Pratt eventually joined Marvel after landing the role of Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. He also headlined in Universal's Jurassic World franchise.
However, in the Marvel book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pratt admitted he was reluctant to play Star Lord's character. He said, per Koimoi:
"At the time, as an actor, I didn’t really believe that I would be right for Quill. I was really redefining who I was as an actor. I didn’t think I’d fit unless I’d play a sidekick character. I didn’t see myself as a Star-Lord type, or a hero type. This is gonna sound crazy, but I even passed on the opportunity to audition for it a couple of times."
What can you say about Chris Pratt's experience before he joined Marvel? Do you agree that he was perfect as Star-Lord?
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5 from Disney.
Stay tuned for more news and updates about Chris Pratt.
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