Chris Pratt wasn’t a big movie star before Guardians of the Galaxy. He’d done movies. He was even one of the SEALs in Zero Dark Thirty. But he was mostly known for his small screen work, which is to say playing lovable goof Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation. Marvel changed all that, but it took some doing. In fact, Pratt had tried out for roles with the comics giant so often that he almost threw up his hands and gave up.
During a chat with Jimmy Kimmel Friday night, the actor reflected on his pre-fame days, when his bar for success was low — basically “don’t want to go back to serving food to people.” Trying out for Star-Lord/Peter Quill wasn’t his first Marvel rodeo.
“Oh man, I auditioned for them all. I had a rough run with Marvel,” Pratt recalled. “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.”
They did, however, tend to offer cryptic comments. “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,’” he said.
Clearly it all worked out in the end. But it was a rocky road. “It got to the point where I was never gonna audition for Marvel again,” Pratt said. “I was like, ‘This is stupid, I’m never gonna be in a Marvel movie.’”
And now look at him. You can see what is likely his farewell to Marvel when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, during which you’ll be able to hear him drop the MCU’s first-ever f-bomb. You can watch his Kimmel appearance below.
(Via Deadline)