Chris Pratt shared the story of how he almost didn't make it as the Star-Lord of the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
Chris Pratt started his MCU tenure as Star-Lord in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. After his breakout performance and the film’s stellar box office run, Pratt continued to portray the role in its sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and the final two Avengers movies in the Infinity Saga.
In Phase 4, the Parks & Recreation star made a comeback as Peter Quill in Thor: Love and Thunder and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
As expected, the actor’s MCU role has catapulted his career in many aspects, with him headlining several big franchises, such as Jurassic World and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Chris Pratt Unveils Details About First Marvel Audition
In the cover story of The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Peter Quill actor Chris Pratt talked about his experience during his first Marvel audition.
THR first noted that Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn went to battle to secure the cast he wanted for the film, with the report stating that he and Marvel Studios "often" didn't agree.
The team featured a pool of around 200 actors for the role of Star-Lord, which included Shazam!'s Zachary Levi and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton. It was casting director Sarah Halley Finn who pushed Gunn to see Pratt, but the director wasn't interested at first.
However, seconds into Pratt's audition for the role, Gunn "declared" that the actor is the perfect fit for Star-Lord.
While speaking with THR, Pratt recalled that he choked during the screen test, with Gunn actually stopping him in the middle and then walking toward him, saying, "I don't know what you're doing, but you're blowing it."
Pratt reflected on what Gunn told him, with the director motivating him by saying, "This is the moment right now. You just need to stop doing whatever you’re doing and just be real. Just be you.”
Inside his head, Pratt said that all he heard was, "You're blowing it, you're blowing it."
Trying to save the actor from an epic disaster, Gunn brought out Dave Bautista, who was in the running then for Drax. The Marvel director asked the pair to improv. Pratt and Bautista's chemistry worked, and the former ultimately landed the role.
Meanwhile, Karen Gillan initially auditioned with her native Scottish accent for Nebula, which is reportedly a no-go for Marvel.
Still, Gillan recalled Gunn giving her a note that unlocked the character's voice, with the director pointing out that she needs to emulate "Marilyn Monroe/Clint Eastwood:"
“I was kind of doing a generic villain thing, [but James Gunn told me to] do Marilyn Monroe/Clint Eastwood.”
Will Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord Die in Guardians 3?
It looks like Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn went all-out in making sure that Chris Pratt would eventually be cast as the MCU's Peter Quill aka Star-Lord.
Almost bombing the audition for Pratt would be understandable, considering that the Marvel role was one of the biggest breaks of his career. However, Gunn's guidance and the actor's chemistry with Drax star Dave Bautista saved Pratt, and the rest, as they say, was history.
Pratt eventually proved everyone wrong after his audition with his incredible performance as the Guardians' emotional leader.
Given that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is being teased as the "emotional" end of the franchise, it remains to be seen if Pratt's Star-Lord will survive the clash against the High Evolutionary.
While many are speculating that the likes of Rocket Raccoon or Drax will bite the dust in the threequel, some have theorized that Peter Quill will be the one to make the sacrifice play.
If Quill does indeed die at the end of the movie, then fans would agree that his Marvel tenure was a worthy journey to witness.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to premiere in theaters on Friday, May 5.
