Chris Pratt praised Marvel chief Kevin Feige for casting him as Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. He recalled that Feige made the decision when people did not yet view him as an obvious action star.
Chris Pratt reveals he had given up on Marvel before landing Star-Lord
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Feige was honored as Pioneer of the Year by the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation on Wednesday. Pratt and Jon Favreau were among those who honored Feige at the event. Feige has also worked on Marvel’s recent releases. These include Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon.
The Marvel chief creative officer was honored for his career and philanthropic contributions.
Pratt recalled how he had auditioned “probably 7 or 8,000 times” before he landed the role. He added, “You know what, this guy just may be able to act. Either that, or he just really needed a third Chris to complete the set.”
Pratt also praised Feige for casting him as an action hero despite his physical appearance at that time. “Because at that point, if anyone knew me, I was Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation; I was funny, sure, but I was kind of fat. Nobody was thinking, ‘Now there’s an action star who can carry a big-budget sci-fi film franchise’,” he said.
Pratt revealed that he had auditioned earlier for Captain America and a supporting role in Thor without success. He confessed that “by the time Marvel was casting Guardians of the Galaxy, I had decided I was done auditioning for Marvel movies.”
Pratt went on to land the role, for which he is grateful. He said that what means the most isn’t just that Feige “gave me the opportunity, it’s that he gave me the opportunity when it wasn’t necessarily obvious to everyone else that it would work. That’s what great producers do.”
Several notable celebrities also sent video messages to congratulate Feige. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Bettany, Hailee Steinfeld, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito were among those who sent messages.