Marvel fans, did you know that Hollywood star Chris Pratt had initially turned down the offer to audition for what might be one of the popular films from his filmography? Yes, we are talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Guardians of the Galaxy.
In an earlier interview with People magazine, casting director Sarah Finn, who has cast over 1000 roles for these Marvel movies, said that Pratt had refused to audition for the role of Peter Quill aka Star-Lord.
While some reports of the time state that it was because the actor had been rejected while previously auditioning for a role in a G.I. Joe movie for ‘being heavy’ and did not fancy going through that grind again, Finn didn’t explain Pratt’s reason behind his initial refusal to do the part.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOhit9Bj_Co%5D
“[Director] James Gunn has been very generous about this in saying that I, to the point of annoying him, kept insisting that Chris Pratt was the guy for the part. But Chris didn’t want to play the part and refused to audition. I finally got him to audition and James Gunn said he didn’t want to see him, and that was really a challenge,” Sarah had said.
This boils down to the simple statement, that both lead star Chris Pratt and filmmaker James Gunn, just couldn’t see eye to eye at this point. However, when they did eventually meet, Gunn immediately realised he had found his hero.
“It was honestly one of those eureka moments that we talk about in casting when it absolutely feels right and you know it’s right. James turned to me within 10 seconds and said, ‘He’s the guy.’ It was great when he (Pratt) decided he was interested. Now it’s legend, he’s the perfect person,” stated the casting director, who had first cast Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man in the first MCU movie.
Chris Pratt will once again be seen as Star-Lord in James Gunn’s upcoming MCU movie, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3. Before that, the actor will make an appearance in soon-to-release Thor: Love and Thunder.
Thor: Love and Thunder releases in India on July 7.
