Just Where Has Chris Pratt Come From?

Who is Chris Pratt? Now, he’s the main star in one of the most talked about films in the Marvel Studios’ collection. He’s slim, he’s fit and he’s in a superhero movie that is showcasing itself as one of the stand-out superhero films amongst quite heavy competition. With Guardians of the Galaxy, Pratt has been thrust into the spotlight as a relative newcomer in the big, budget action movie world but he’s stood up to the challenge well and has received some impressive reviews for his turn as Peter Quill.

Chris Pratt has been thrust into the superhero spotlight as Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy

But who was he before?

Fans of the American comedy show Parks and Recreation will already know him well as goofy, dim-witted but loveable slacker, Andy Dwyer, who started as a guest star in season one. Originally intended as a bit-part character, the producers liked Pratt so much that he was made into a cast regular from season two onwards.

After a difficult first season, Parks and Recreation began to draw critical acclaim from many corners, with wide praise heaped on supporting characters including Pratt’s Andy Dwyer. A seventh season of the hit comedy was confirmed in March 2014 and this was later established as its last.

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So from his days waiting tables at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Maui, Hawaii, Pratt was now an established TV actor in a hit comedy show.

His move into films as supporting characters started in 2011’s Moneyball where he played first baseman, Scott Hatteburg. In 2012 he played a U.S Navy Seal called Jason in Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, an award-winning action thriller that chronicled the decade long hunt for Osama bin Laden. In 2013, Pratt took a supporting part in the comedy-drama, Her, and a larger role in Vince Vaughn’s comedy, Delivery Man. Then came 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy and his big chance to be centre stage.

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Chris Pratt takes centre stage in Marvel's newest franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy

His co-star, Zoe Saldana, was hesitant about his appointment to the main role and told Vanity Fair: "I just thought really? ... But then I get to know him and, within 20 minutes, I just knew, oh my god, he’s perfect for the part."

If she had initial concerns, surely critics will have done too. But he’s overcome those who may have thought he was not well-known enough, not fit enough and not good enough and he has led in a production that some are calling Marvel’s best film yet and the first in a franchise that could be Star Wars for a new generation.

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With Guardians of the Galaxy 2 already having secured a release date, it’s no surprise that Pratt has signed a multi-film deal with Marvel and, as if to seal his new superhero status, he received the CinemaCon Award for Breakthrough Performer in March 2014.

His rising superstardom and effectiveness as a lead character has not only been noticed by Marvel and, in late 2013, it was confirmed he would take a starring role in the fourth Jurassic Park instalment, Jurassic World.

If we didn’t know who Chris Pratt was before, it looks like we’re definitely going to know who he is from now.