Chris Pratt’s performance as the dimwitted Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation made him a very unconventional choice to headline his own superhero franchise. Nowadays, however, Pratt is one of Hollywood’s most bankable action stars thanks to his breakthrough turn in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films, which led to other franchise gigs like Jurassic World along the way. However, he was almost too discouraged to even bother throwing his hat in the ring. As it turns out, Pratt’s frustration with losing out on earlier Marvel roles briefly led him to swear off trying to join the MCU altogether.
Pratt recalled his previous brushes with Marvel stardom on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night. During the interview, he confirmed that he auditioned to play Captain America before the part ultimately went to Chris Evans. But surprisingly, it sounds like the studio didn’t even consider him worthy enough to play minor characters in their films back then.
“I auditioned for them all,” said Pratt. “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.’ […] 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.’”
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“Anything that came out that needed a guy that even remotely looked like me, I auditioned for in some way or another,” continued Pratt. “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.’”
Marvel wasn’t the only big studio in town that turned Pratt down. Around the same time, he auditioned for roles in other massive blockbusters, only to be met with the same result.
“Not DC characters, but like, you know, Star Trek or Avatar,” revealed Pratt. “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.’”
Ultimately, Peter Quill/Star-Lord proved to be the best fit for Pratt’s personality. In fact, his upcoming turn in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 marks his seventh (and possibly final) go-round as the Guardians’ team leader. The film hits theaters next Friday, May 5.
Can you see Pratt starring as any other hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Guardians of the Galaxy by Brian Michael Bendis Omnibus Vol. 1
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