“Guardians of the Galaxy” has decidedly launched Chris Pratt to another level in his career, but according to the actor in a new in-depth interview, he almost turned down the opportunity.
In a new Esquire Magazine spread that took him to the bayous of Louisiana, Pratt details how he met his wife Anna Faris when she was still married to someone else, on the set of 2007’s “Take Me Out Tonight,” and how he bought her a gun to protect herself from any intruders while he’s away shooting on location. Turns out, he’s a bit of a gun nut and owns up to 40 weapons, though he believes in gun ownership being heavily regulated.
Most revelatory of all, the “Parks and Recreations” actor almost passed on the chance to play Star-Lord in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which opened to $94 million over the weekend.
See video: Chris Pratt Gives a Tour of His Super Chill ‘Guardians’ Ship, The Milano
“When ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ was pitched to me, I said, ‘I don’t think so,’” he tells Esquire magazine for their September cover story. “I just didn’t picture myself getting the role. I didn’t want to go and embarrass myself like I did when I auditioned for ‘G.I. Joe’ a couple of years previously. I went in there, and halfway through I saw the director’s eyes just glaze over. It made sense–I was a little heavy and out of shape. I was not gonna play someone from G.I. Joe. I did not look like a G.I. Joe action figure come to life.”
But he certainly does now. Pratt has kept the Star-Lord physique for his next role, the lead in “Jurassic World,” which recently wrapped filming and comes out next summer.
The September issue of Esquire with Pratt on the cover hits newsstands Aug. 12.