As Chris Pratt’s latest action movie, Mercy, comes out this weekend, it’s worth looking back on the role that changed his career the most, which was arguably Star-Lord in one of the best Marvel movies, Guardians of the Galaxy, back in 2013. The actor recalled a conversation he had with Marvel boss Kevin Feige right before earning the part, and he apparently had blunt words for him before offering him the job in James Gunn’s movie.
Pratt was asked if he remembers the moment he got the role of Peter Quill while in conversation with Josh Horowitz this week. Here’s what the actor had to say:
I had a meeting with Kevin Feige, and he was basically just trying to see if I could get in shape, because I was like 285 pounds. It was coming off of doing a film called Delivery Man with Vince [Vaughn], and I got up to 300 pounds for that role, and I was kind of on my way back down, a little bit.
Chris Pratt, of course, famously got into mad shape to play the Marvel role, and apparently that was a deciding factor for Kevin Feige when he was in the running. As he continued:
Kevin Feige pulled out this picture of me in my underwear from when I posted on Ellen from being in shape for Zero Dark Thirty. He was like ‘Can you do that again?’ And I said, ‘Yes, how long do I have?’ He said ‘6-7 months.’ I said ‘Dude, I’ll kick that guy’s ass in seven months.’
Surely, this enthusiastic line went far with Feige, considering the results. At the time, Chris Pratt had gotten into shape for roles before. He’s previously talked about how he was told he was “too fat” for 2011’s Moneyball and ended up shedding 30 pounds to be in the movie starring Brad Pitt. Then, he gained weight again for the high school reunion comedy 10 Years before going on a strict fitness routine to play a Navy SEAL in 2012’s Zero Dark Thirty. Committing to the work required to drop weight isn’t easy, but I love that he was up for it to play Star-Lord.
Pratt credits his brother Daniel for convincing him to post the picture of himself in his underwear from his time on Zero Dark Thirty. It ultimately very much came in handy because this happened next:
And then, on the way home, they called me, and they’re like, ‘It’s yours.’ I was like, ‘You gotta be kidding me.’
Hey, sometimes shirtless photos can literally earn you a role in a Marvel movie! The rest is history. According to Men’s Journal, Chris Pratt went on to lose 60 pounds in six months thanks to “three or four hours a day of just consistent, ass-kicking hard work.”
He was able to do so with the help of a personal trainer and nutritionist who had him doing everything from P90X, running, swimming, boxing, kickboxing, and a triathlon, eating 4,000 calories a day and drinking so much water he was “peeing all day long.”
Of course, it wasn’t purely Chris Pratt’s ability to lose weight and gain muscle that turned him into a Marvel superhero. Per the actor, it was his improv talent, particularly with Dave Bautista, that convinced writer/director James Gunn. At first, Gunn didn’t even want to see Pratt’s audition, but the casting director snuck him into an unplanned audition, and following multiple rounds, he got the role.
At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Star-Lord’s return to the MCU was teased, but we have yet to learn which of the upcoming Marvel movies the actor will make an appearance in. For now, you can catch Chris Pratt in Mercy, now playing in theaters.
