When the cast of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy was announced, nobody expected Chris Pratt, the loveable goofball from the sitcom Parks and Recreation to be the Star-Lord, the leader of the gang of superheroes. The icing on top was Pratt’s incredible physical transformation as he had bulked up on muscle and had lost weight.
However, this transformation became an obstacle for Pratt as he was still playing Andy Dwyer in the beloved sitcom and it did not suit the character. In fact, the writers had to change a gag in their script as the actor’s ripped physique did not make sense for the character.
How Did Chris Pratt Get Cast In Guardians of the Galaxy?
Chris Pratt has been front and center in blockbuster franchises such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World, The Lego Movie, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. However, Pratt had much humbler beginnings before he became a star. Pratt was reportedly waiting tables before he was discovered by director Rae Dawn Chong, who cast him in her horror film Cursed Part 3.
The actor gained notoriety for his role as Andy Dwyer in the workplace comedy Parks and Recreation. While he was cast as a guest actor and was supposed to only last one season, the makers loved him so much that they extended his character. Pratt would star in all seven seasons of the sitcom along with Amy Poehler, Aubrey Plaza, and Nick Offerman.
Pratt was cast as Star-Lord in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy when casting director Sarah Halley Finn after she remembered him from his Captain America audition. Finn pitched the idea to James Gunn, who was first apprehensive. But after the character remained uncast for a while, Gunn agreed to look at Pratt.
Finn described Pratt’s audition in the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios,
“Chris walked in the room, and we have this audition, and it’s really magical. Within ten seconds, James turned around and looked at me and said, ‘He’s the guy.’”
While Chris Pratt was cast in the role, he still had a lot of preparation to do, especially with getting into shape.
Chris Pratt Could Not Do A Scene In His Sitcom After Getting Ripped
For years, Chris Pratt was playing the role of Andy Dwyer, a dim-wited but loved character in the sitcom Parks and Recreation. The actor had gained weight for the role and was not in the shape that was expected of a Marvel superhero when he was cast in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Pratt reportedly started training immediately after he was cast in the role and was coached by famed Marvel trainer Duffy Gaver, who was responsible for training Chris Hemsworth. Gaver mentioned that Chris Pratt was extremely dedicated and that he used his example for his other clients. He said,
“Chris was very prepared to put the work in…[I used his example] Not because he was a movie star, because at the time he wasn’t. He’s dripping sweat, and out of breath. He was just a guy who was killing himself in the gym.”
Chris Pratt had transformed within six months of training and had become perfect for the Marvel film. However, this caused trouble for Parks and Recreation as the physicality did not suit Andy Dwyer. Michael Schur, the co-creator is the sitcom, mentioned that they had to remove a scene where Andy took his shirt off because of Pratt’s transformation. He said,
“We realized we couldn’t do it. Andy is not a guy who has a perfectly constructed human form with ripped abs and gigantic biceps.”
The writers also included a dialogue that addressed Pratt’s body, saying that Andy just stopped drinking beer.
