I think this is one of the best Chris Pratt photos in history. Forget the adorable raccoon. Spare me the cheesecake poses. Just give me the Pratt guns, and imagination will fill in the blanks. This is a weekend photo of Pratt at the Brickyard 400, by the way. He’s swiftly moving into the last phases of Guardians promotion. This film will be Marvel’s biggest gamble to date. The studio must be somewhat confident because they already announced a 2017 sequel at Comic Con.
I’ve cobbled together some bits and pieces from three different Pratt interviews. People are still asking him about his 60 pound weight loss. Chris handles it well. In fact, he gets a little too honest with some of these answers from a Marvel perspective. Chris reveals that the studio basically sent a fat-inspector to his house every week to see if he was losing enough weight to play Star-Lord. Chris also reveals some massive food issues but decorates his words with a touch of Pratt humor:
The interview food: “I would love to eat it,” Mr. Pratt said mournfully. “I personally can’t allow myself to eat it. I know what it translates to. I would see a plate of food, and, if I spin my eyes, I see a treadmill. And a clock. The draft beer he had ordered (though not before saying: “I hope you don’t mind? I don’t work tomorrow”) sat before him, untouched. “I don’t know why I ordered this. Turns out I don’t like beer anymore.”
The studio pressure to lose weight: “They would send someone over to my house to measure me every week. It was like I was on The Biggest Loser but there was no camera crew. They would send me prop guns… I would take a picture with it, pose with the gun so they could see how it looked in my hand. Meanwhile, what they’re secretly doing is, ‘How fat is Chris, still?’ And that’s what the photo was. They’re like, ‘Oh, we also need you to try on these gloves. Make sure it’s a full body shot with the glove on.’ Oh, yeah, thanks.”
On relating to Hollywood females with body issues: Are you saying that I might be responsible for giving men body image issues? That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me! No, I’m sure I can’t relate to what females go through in Hollywood, but I do know what it feels like to eat emotionally. To be sad and make yourself happy with food, and then be almost immediately sad again, and then ashamed. Then, you to try to hide those feelings with more food. I know what that’s like. It’s a vicious cycle, and it’s a very real thing. So, I know what it’s like to have body image issues. I also know that, if you just work hard and you enlist the help of good coaches, and you are coach-able and willing to work hard, you can actually change that. I offer a course. It’s $4,500. Anyone who has these issues, just get a hold of my people, and we’ll set it up. I’ll walk you through it. I don’t really offer a course.”
He’s very grateful for his career: “I used to be a door-to-door salesman. I lived in a van. I’m a f—— Hollywood movie star now. I’m going to be happy every day that I walk onto set because I’ve got nothing to complain about.”
He doesn’t want megafame: “What I want is to not have to do a different job. I want this to be my job forever. A regular job where you work it till the job is done, and then you retire, and you live the good life until the good Lord comes and takes you. That’s what I want.”
That was kinda uncomfortable to read, right? It’s more fun when Chris french braids an interns hair during an interview, yet I appreciate his real talk about body image. Many of the men in these superhero movies are under just as much pressure as females to look hot and perfect.
Here’s a cute video of Pratt at a press conference a few days ago. He’s throwing out ideas for a Marvel Guardians/Avengers crossover. He wants to kill Iron Man. It sounds so dumb, but Pratt is so enthusiastically adorable.
Here’s a photo of Chris Pratt at last week’s UK premiere. He’s almost arrived.
Photos courtesy of WENN
I’m glad he’s said it, even if it makes some uncomfortable.
Some folks out there seem to have this notion that movie stars/celebs are just naturally the way they are, they go to the gym a few times a week and that’s it. They don’t tell you about the nutritionists, the personal trainers, the dermatologists etc. to name a few and the studios expecting you to look the part whatever it takes.
I’m not saying they have to do it, but it’s good that he’s being honest about it rather than the usual selling us easily achievable perfection.
You hear about the really obvious cases like Dallas Buyers Club, and it becomes part of the story behind the movie (and a good course for awards) but you don’t hear too much about the fact it’s pretty much expected constantly.
What did Tina Fey and Amy Poehler say at this years GG. “Matthew lost 40lbs to be in DBC, or what actresses call…being in a movie”
I agree, it’s nice for someone to be real about the struggle!
Not really uncomfortable at all. He comes across genuine and appreciative here.
I don’t even really know who this guy is, just that he made me cry. Because he knows EXACTLY what an eating disorder is like.
He was real, honest, and relatable…I’d be much more uncomfortable with some phoney bravado or him refusing to comment on his incredible physical transformation at all.
Good for him, he worked hard, he looks amazing, and it sounds like he hasn’t forgotten who he was or where he came from.
I completely relate to his honesty about weight loss. I am glad he’s being open about it, although he is such a talented and funny guy-I wish his weight loss and exercise regimen was not the only thing being spotlighted about him.
People have that idea because that’s what Hollywood (and fashion) continually sells. “How do I get this thin? Oh, I do yoga a few times a week.” Or “I swear, I eat Big Macs all the time and I just can’t keep enough weight on.” It’s crap.
Why was that uncomfortable to read? It didn’t make me uncomfortable; it was refreshing for an actor to be honest about how he has struggled with his weight. I found what he said very empathetic to others who have been or are still in that emotional eating cycle.
I will admit I’m not his biggest fan and to be honest, he and his wife have never been on my radar but he looks great and the movie is getting a lot of good buzz, so he is definitely on his way to being a movie star!… If he doesn’t muck it up.
Yeah, I’m a bit nonplussed about that being described as uncomfortable. It struck me as very accurate — and eloquent despite still being in very plain language.
It actually made me tear up a little because he described it so accurately. You can’t help but empathize.
“I offer a course. It’s $4,500. Anyone who has these issues, just get a hold of my people, and we’ll set it up. I’ll walk you through it. I don’t really offer a course.”
LOL, love his sense of humour.
This is my favourite physical transformation… from a Standard American Diet to Paleo: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-unconquerable-dave/#axzz38r8Crtai
Amazing.
I remember this MDA transformation as well. Pretty awesome.
That’s a great one! I am also a sucker for the video of the guy who was walking with crutches due to his weight and then totally transforms himself through yoga. I am a puddle after that video!
Nope. Still can’t stand him. Keep trying though, Budget Channing.
Can you explain this for me? I don’t get the Channing reference at all…
They’re trying to make him the next Channing Tatum. Doofy guy next door who can do comedy/action/weird special talents. Pratt’s blueprint for stardom is on the heels of Tatum’s recent trajectory into ‘movie star.’ Except where Tatum is self-deprecating, Pratt often drops how he is/going to be a big movie star before he has proven himself. There is a sense of entitlement in his interviews that irritates me and conflicts with what he’s trying to sell us. Top all that off with that smirk of his (yes I’m nitpicking now) and you have Budget Potato.
Hm. I guess I don’t see it at all. Chris Pratt has been on a hit TV show for years. He’s new to the movie game, but I still see him as a rather established actor, not someone who’s being made to be like anyone else. I think they both have good senses of humor. To me they just don’t seem remotely alike otherwise.
Someone is sipping on some hatorade this morning…
I come from a long line of haters.
You know I’m with you, Abbott. He’s grating as hell.
Justin Bieber called. He wants his douche-smirk back.
You’re not alone, Abbott. I can’t stand him either.
I just disagree with the comparison to Channing Tatum because Tatum seems to be a genuinely nice guy whereas I think Pratt’s “nice dude who can braid your hair” image has been pushed down our throats by his PR.
I also don’t get why he brags about being “a f*cking Hollywood movie star now” but doesn’t want megafame (even comparing it to a “regular job” — bitch, please).
By the way, he’s not a Hollywood movie star — the Marvel machine may turn him into one but he’s not there quite yet.
Mark my words: if he’s *this* obnoxious now, just wait until he becomes megafamous.
@Eve
He’s just being Star-Lord!
@ GeeMoney:
It’s Diet Haterode, thank you very much.
I can’t stand him either. Can’t wait for this movie promotion to be over and see less of his obnoxious mug everywhere.
Yay! I am not alone.
Same here. I’m counting the days. Guardians of the Galaxy may be the ONLY Marvel movie I won’t watch.
Lol@ Kitten and Eve! *high 5*
lol your comments on these Chris Pratt threads are so amusing to me, because I find Channing Tatum so unappealing and I love Chris Pratt. Everyone has their preferences.
Hate Potato Tatum. Love Chris Pratt. There, I said it. What’s not to like about him? Seriously, he seems like one of the most down to earth actors out there. And to say he’s not self-deprecating? Puhlezz, have you SEEN Parks & Rec? So much of Andy’s character actually mocks Chris himself.
Yikes! I think he is adorable 🙂
I give him props for being honest, and for being sympathetic to how much worse it must be for actresses.
The studio sending someone to measure him every week just gave me the willies. I guess they have to do it for business purposes, and he’s definitely at a healthier weight now, but . . .ugh. That kind of oversight and pressure leads to eating disorders, not a healthier lifestyle. The desire to be healthy has to be instrinsic and self-maintained, not imposed externally. That is true whether you need to lose weight/avoid being overweight or avoid dipping into anorexia.
He might be projecting there. I’m sure they were worried about his body, there is pressure on superhero dudes to look a certain way and he’d gained a lot of weight for a role around the time he was auditioning for Guardians, but I know the prop house where Marvel gets their costumes made, and those guys are fanatical about building the various bits and bobs and armor and manufacturing the wardrobes. They’ll cast and recast RDJ’s whole body every couple weeks to make sure the Iron Man suits fit as snug as possible, and they are constantly resizing Chris Evans for the Captain America suits. It’s really clever how they do it–they sew inverted pleats inside the costume so they can take it in or let it out as his weight fluctuates throughout filming, so that the suit remains as fitted as possible. It’s very possible that Chris, mandated to lose weight and working his ass off to do it, felt the constant measurements were tacit pressure, but in reality it was just the Legacy guys being the obsessive builders that they are, wanting the most precise measurements to make the best possible costume. Ditto for sending the guns and gloves. They’re going to want to build that stuff exactly proportional for him, so that it looks best *in his hand*. I was amazed when I held one of Captain America’s shields how BIG it is, but then, Chris Evans is literally twice my size. To make a shield that seems substantive in his hands, it would have to be big.
It’s so popular to blame everything on the big, bad studio, but generally they send you a trainer and a dietician and call it a day. The studio has other fish to fry, they’re just going to expect you to lose weight because that’s part of the deal. The people responsible for outfitting him, though, would be obsessing over every inch because it affects the costumes and props they’re making.
Awesome insight, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for that story! I love hearing stuff like that. Props and costume can really be the unsung heroes of movies sometimes. I really wish actors/actresses would give them more credit.
I think his interview was great. I think there’s still a quotient of the public who believe that celebrities are somehow different… but, no. It’s just the studio showing up every week to make sure you’re not fat. I’m sure that happens to female celebs on a much institutionalized level.
Hell, back in my ballet days, we had company weigh ins once a week. I’ll never forget this really talented dancer and she was 140 – which was horrifying at the time, even though she was tall. She was told she’d have no more solos (a big demotion) until she was 125. In front of everyone. It was an awful moment for all of us!
I’m conflicted about the whole thing – it’s not like Chris is complaining, but should he be? Or does it just come with the territory? IDK.
I agree with you. I loved his interview and found it refreshing. I like him on P&R too. I hope Hollywood doesn’t ruin him.
We had weekly weigh-ins on my gymnastic team and the gym owner (a woman, not the coach) would constantly make comments about my body and how I would be kicked off the team if I didn’t “make weight”. I had no idea what the magic number was, but I was stressed out all the time about it. I was 10.
i appreciate this interview b/c im in the process of losing weight now and i understand completely what its like to have this type of relationship w/food.
Good luck with your weight loss! 🙂 I’ve been there and its a lot harder than people think. I also loved to hear an actor say these things and admit its difficult
Why was this uncomfortable to read? I thought his interview was great, he was so honest about the weight issues and his emotional eating (which I can relate to) that it made me love him even more. I really loved the part about him charging 4500$ to lose it all LOL
I’m so excited to see Guardians of the Galaxy, I really hope it does well
This, I have no idea how this was uncomfortable. I appreciate the honesty.
I love what he said, especially since he said he could relate to women in Hollywood, but acknowledged that society is harder on women. My weight goes up and down between 10 pounds, so I’m glad nobody is weighing me and judging me but me. Lol
I really appreciated his honesty too! And imagine the pressure of having someone show up every week and take pics of you to make sure you look ok … yuck
I loved his interview…I like that he appreciates what a great job he has and how lucky he is…and as for the weight thing, I would almost feel bad for him, except the rest of us don’t have studios sending over trainers and what not to help with the weight loss….I wish I did! Losing weight on your own it hard!!!!
He seems like a really cool guy!
I loved the part about how grateful he is, too. Refreshing!
I loved the grateful part also, as well as that he views it as a really great job that he’s going to retire from someday. If more celebrities had this attitude about their work, rather than looking at it as a means of maintaining a magical status that separates them from the plebeian masses, they would be so much more bearable (albeit less gossip-worthy).
He came across as very thoughtful. Good answers, a little humor and some realism. I’d rather read this than about Evans whining about his workouts and costumes.
In my book Chris Pratt>>>>>>Chris Evans. Chris Evans whines too much for my liking.
He has popped up on my radar of the guys I find really attractive! I feel like he is what Ben Affleck could have been without the ego and high profile JLo romance.
Not uncomfortable reading this at all (what is the implication there? A guy can’t admit being an emotional eater why?). Most overweight men refuse to admit any emotional connection to their overeating or weight fluctuations, he’s refreshingly honest. Doubt we’ll ever hear Leo DiCaprio or any other male Hollywood chubsters admit they struggle with it like the rest of us mere mortals. I appreciate that he acknowledges the pressures on men aren’t in the same league – though I do think he’s one of the few who experienced something like it firsthand. It’s hard to imagine the studio acting like that with a bigger star, this was clearly a unique situation of them taking a chance on talent as opposed to a big name. Curious to see if there’s another film (I don’t know, is it a franchise situation?) if they are quite so pushy with him. Having such strict parameters obv. worked for him but I’d be surprised if he didn’t let it slide a little bit now. What makes him interesting is not that he has a cookie cutter body, but his comedic chops. People who are only seeing him for the first time now might get a different perception than older fans, I will be curious to see how his career goes from here.
The Hollywood studio system did this all the time to stars no matter how big or small. It was mandatory. Going as far as insisting on plastic surgery for men and women.
These days you have the method actors (and actresses) who transform their bodies to look the part – Christian Bale for any number of roles whilst also taking on BATMAN, MM for THE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, Tom Hanks for CASTAWAY, Brad Pitt for TROY, Charlize Theron for MONSTER, even Jonah Hill for MONEY BALL etc.
They simply don’t talk about it the way CP just did in the post above, but has always been pressure to look a certain way in hollywood either for roles and or just in general.
Not my type at all, and I doubt I’ll ever get truly interested in him, but it’s good that he’s discussing this issue, I think. GOTG is getting some pretty great reviews though (some of which are very favourably comparing it to Avengers 1 and saying that GOTG manages to play off the team spirit much better than Avengers 1), so I’m looking forward to watching it this week-end with son!
“Many of the men in these superhero movies are under just as much pressure as females to look hot and perfect.”
Not really; a superhero should be in shape since they’re physical roles and they’re supposed to be credible when performing physical feats. But every woman in almost any movie, no matter what age, has to be underweight to a degree that’s unhealthy.
Agreed.
Exactly. Not the same thing at all.
I don’t think they are the same thing, especially for the differences you noted (i.e. that women have to do it for any role, any film, any age). I did read an article in the Hollywood Reporter about steroid usage, and how action film actors have their own kind of pressure to deal with. It seems the studios don’t push the performance enhancing drugs, but the actors themselves feel insecure if they don’t bulk up to the maximum.
So, I think actors can feel pressure in regards to their bodies, but it isn’t the all-encompassing pressure that actresses feel.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-steroid-use-a-list-609091
“As Hollywood struggles to groom a new generation of box-office draws, the 40-plus male star remains at the top of studio wish lists and is expected to doff his shirt like he did a decade or two ago. In fact, the shirtless shot has become de rigueur for tentpole campaigns. The trouble is that six-pack abs are difficult to maintain after the age of 40, “unless you are extremely genetically gifted,” notes Hill, who points to the well-showcased frame of one 40-something leading man in a recent studio film as not plausible without a cycle or two of steroids.”
“In fact, studios might be part of the problem, with their tight schedules and Herculean expectations. An actor typically trains for just one to two months before tackling a body-intensive role, a far cry from the regimen of the professional athletes whose bodies they mirror.”
I wish they didn’t give him Tintin hair for the red carpet. Hear that, Pratt’s stylist? No more stupid hair! Hope the movie’s good. I sold it hard to a large posse of friends, and if it’s bad I don’t want to have to buy too many rounds this Friday.
Bedhead, honestly…are Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana the only people to write about when it comes to Guardians of the Galaxy? I know, I know…they play major characters but how about Lee Pace? Or Bradley Cooper (who’s playing the coolest character in the movie)? Or even Glenn Close? Benicio Del Toro?
Seriously, at this point, I’m taking an interview with even freaking Vin Diesel over this guy any day of the week.
Would love to see Karen Gillan too!!
“Raggedy man, goodbye….” *SOB*
And Djimon Hounsou and John C. Reilly? Along with BDT, Cooper, and Close? You know, people who have actually been nominated for Oscars for other work?
I adore him. He is genuine, humble and grateful. He is not at all full of himself and I promise if you watch Parks and Rec, you’d be a Chris Pratt fan. I wish he and his adorable wife were friends of mine. His honesty on emotional eating and being a movie/tv star is definitely relatable. He excudes gratitude.
I love Parks and Recs but I still hate Pratt.
Too many people confuse this dude with a character he plays on a TV show.
Why do you hate him? Is it a vibe he gives off or something? Just wondering because he seems like a perfectly nice and funny guy to me.
It started with him giving away his incontinent old cat on Twitter, which isn’t the most caring way to treat an animal. A sickly pet being abandoned shouldn’t be used for self-promotion (that’s how it felt to me). But I could have forgiven him if he didn’t respond so rudely to people who showed concern about it. Predictably , there were a handful of nut-jobs that overreacted but most people were just concerned about his cat’s welfare.
His response:
“Bottom line, and not that this is any of your f*cking business weirdos, but my wife and I want to start a family and we ABSOLUTELY CANNOT have an animal that shits all over the house. Sorry. If you are a parent you will understand. And if not, that probably explains why you have such a hard on for cats. Just sayin’.”
To me, this is the real Chris Pratt, not the saccharinely sweet image of the hair-braiding, funny guy that every chick is swooning over. Dude is a douche.
I’m just waiting until the real Pratt resurfaces so I can come on here and say “I told you so.”
First of all, I’ve got two cats and I’m not embarrassed to say I’m a total cat lady. Love them so much. I was also following Chris Pratt on Twitter when all that went down, but I never disliked him for it because it was Anna’s cat. She didn’t seem to mind him trying to find a home for it on Twitter. I blame her more than I blame him. Who gives up their cat of like two decades? Still, I never assumed he had any emotional attachment to the cat, certainly not as much as she should have had. She’d had it for something like 18 years.
@ O’Kitten:
“To me, this is the real Chris Pratt, not the saccharinely sweet image of the hair-braiding, funny guy that every chick is swooning over. Dude is a douche.
I’m just waiting until the real Pratt resurfaces so I can come on here and say “I told you so.”
Same here. As a matter of fact, I think the real Pratt has already been showing, but some will do backflips to justify his quotes (not only the ones from this particular interview) and call them refreshing, then mention how sweet his character is in Parks & Recreation.
In my opinion, he sounds like a douchebag here — entitled (as I said above, he’s not a movie start quite yet but keeps referring to himself as one) and annoying.
@ KB:
I have never excused Faris for that either — I don’t blame her any less. I can’t stand her and her voice can give me an instant headache every time I inadverdetly catch some of the tv commercials for that awful show of hers (never found her funny either).
But let me clarify one last thing: I truly get a douchebag vibe from him, regardless of the cat incident. I may be wrong and he may indeed be the sweetest guy on earth but that’s not the feeling I have when I see him/read his interviews.
*Sorry: I meant “instantaneous headache”.
Holy crap @Original Kitten – is that true about the cat? So his wife had a cat for nearly 20 years and they decided they wanted to start a family so they have the cat away to strangers because it has health problems? Why couldn’t these douchbags have waited a fewofe years and let the cat die in peace before starting their precious family? I mean how long do cats live? I have had my dog for 13 years and would never get rid of her because I decided to start a family. My daughter is 3 now and it was hard the first year because I didn’t have as much time to devote to the dog but thankfully my husband did most of the moening walks that first year. I absolutely despise people like that. What epic douches they are. Both of them. And here I was getting warm feelings for Pratt thinking he was somewhat down to earth.
I will always love Andy from parks & rec! As for this interview – I didn’t find it uncomfortable. I thought it was refreshingly honest, both about eating issues and Hollywood pressures.
Chris is pretty open in interviews, I dont know why he irritates some of you so much. He seems funny and sweet to me.
I don’t usually follow this actor but i find his comments on eating disorders and studio-managed weight loss pretty honest and likely accurate.
I remember reading this article (I think someone posted it here on CB a while back so the credit for finding it is theirs) and while some of the assertions are debatable, it’s certainly an eye-opener as to the lengths studios and actors go to achieve and maintain their cut, sculpted physique. It’s a lengthy but interesting read, imo.
Mens Journal – http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/building-a-bigger-action-hero-20140418
He makes me think a lot about my oldest brother. All his life he has had issues with binge eating and emotional eating. He is basically the opposite of myself and my sister in terms of eating as my sister and I suffer from anorexia. But it is essentially the same emotional issues just manifesting a bit differently in regards to our relationship with food.
I know I have my own issues but I have always felt so bad for my brother. He has had low confidence all his life due to many things but even in adulthood when my parents make jabs about him being fat/ not being their version of success/ confident around woman etc. I can see him hiding his feelings of inadequacy behind food eating much like how do the opposite and I limit myself or restrict from food.
I know men and the pressure they receive from society in regards to their bodies is nowhere near the level of women’s but I can still see where Chris is coming from. It doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable it just makes me feel sad from witnessing the pain my brother goes through and often feeling like he can’t talk to anyone about the underlining issues.
Thank you for your honest comment! Best of luck to you, your sister, and your brother.
Its official. He just made my list. Love him.