Chris Pratt plays Star-Lord in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy but you might think he’s a mutant with his ability to gain and lose weight for roles. The Parks and Recreation star plays a supporting role to Vince Vaughn in Delivery Man but next year he’s the leading man for the “Avengers in space” epic.
Pratt tells Huffington Post he felt he was right for Peter Quill, the human pilot who becomes leader of a squad of alien heroes.
“For me it felt like a perfect fit right off the bat. I felt like at my very first audition that I nailed it, but, I was afraid that I wasn’t physically right for it because I was still pretty big from this movie. And so I just thought, If they could just believe in me, then I can lose this weight, then I’ll get this role. But I had a feeling it was a little too much weight to expect any person to lose — I was determined at that point. I was like, Well, you know what, if I’m not going to get this, that’s fine. But no one is ever going to tell me that I’m too fat for a role again. I’m going to start getting in shape. So I started getting in shape right away. We wrapped “Delivery Man” right around this time last year — oh my gosh, what a year — and I had gotten heavy, heavy, heavy and I went through the holidays and I continued to gain weight. Then, right at Jan 1st, I started working out. Then around the 15th, this audition came up. So I had lost probably 10 pounds … but I was still around 280 and that’s too big to be a Marvel character. But, it was in the audition. I mean, I knew he had my spirit — I knew that my spirit was right. And I knew it sounded right, I just didn’t look right yet.”
Guardians is Marvel’s biggest creative risk but they have a track record of turning unfamiliar characters into box-office icons with the right casting and tone. Just by knowing the roster (Rocket Raccoon, Groot the Tree) and comic book – GOTG will have a funny tone.
“I think it should be really fun. But, that being said, it takes the dramatic beats seriously. I men, it takes itself seriously when it needs to. Just as a whole it doesn’t take itself too seriously. But, it definitely takes it’s dramatic moments seriously. And the dramatic arcs and the bits of emotion that you’re supposed to feel something that you’re supposed to feel something that I think you really will. But, hopefully, it will be because it’s anchored to this comedy. Like, to the comedy that lives in it. If you tie comedy and drama together, than you don’t have to go as big to get laughs and you don’t have to go as big to get a real emotional response.”
Guardians of the Galaxy blasts into cinemas in August 2014.
By Editor