Hollywood fame is a matter of legacy, luck, or labor, and for Chris Pratt, it is the latter. Born in Virginia, Minnesota, the Parks and Recreation star began appearing on television before gradually moving to films. His first-ever role in 2000’s Cursed Part 3 motivated him to become a full-time actor.
Pratt is famously known for two of his biggest projects in Hollywood: Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. These films propelled him to stardom, but it was his role in the TV show Everwood that changed his life.
Chris Pratt Admits Joining Hollywood With No Powerful Connections
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Passengers star Chris Pratt opened up about finding fame and fortune while being an outsider:
“I was an outsider, no connections, no nepotism, nothing, a complete foreigner to Hollywood. [Everwood] went four seasons and was absolutely life-changing. That’s when I became an actor, and that was the first time I’d ever got into money, real money.”
Pratt’s life before joining Hollywood was far from glamorous. The actor dropped out of community college and moved to Hawaii, with no concrete plans in mind. He also used to pass the nights in a van or a tent and was practically homeless in Maui (via Independent):
“It’s a pretty awesome place to be homeless. It would be different if I lived on the streets of Chicago and ate garbage from a dumpster. We just drank and smoked weed and worked minimal hours, 15-20 hours per week, just enough to cover gas, food, and fishing supplies. You know, it was a charming time.”
The Onward actor worked at Maui’s Bubba Gump Shrimp Company where he was discovered by director Rae Dawn Chong. They talked for a while and ended up offering the then-waiter a role in Cursed Part 3. Despite his past, Pratt did not feel any shame and was proud of the life he had back then.
When he permanently moved to Los Angeles, Pratt landed on several projects that helped him build his portfolio, such as Everwood, The O.C., and Parks and Recreation. He, later on, moved to making films, earning a lead role in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. His career took off, and he became one of Forbes’ highest-paid actors in 2017.
Chris Pratt Proves He Is More Than Just A Box-Office Actor
After demonstrating his talent in acting, Chris Pratt ventured into producing 2021’s The Tomorrow War. He shared with Men’s Journal his sentiments about this new field in his career:
“It’s truly been such a rewarding opportunity to stretch out of my comfort zone to take on a larger leadership role and grow in learning a side of the business I haven’t experienced before. I’m excited for people to see what we’ve done on this one; the action scenes are incredible.”
Chris Pratt’s road to stardom was, indeed, full of uncertainty. Coming from a background so far from the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, it was sheer talent and confidence that brought him closer to where he is now.
Sources: Vanity Fair, Independent, Men’s Journal
