Chris Pratt’s Terrible Audition Almost Cost Him ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Role

Chris Pratt almost missed his chance to become a Marvel superhero because of a terrible audition for another movie. In an interview with Esquire, Pratt explained that he once auditioned for a G.I. Joe film and it went really badly.

“Halfway through the audition, I saw the director’s eyes just glaze over,” he said. He realized it was probably because he was out of shape and didn’t look like a typical action hero.

After that experience, Pratt was hesitant to take another big role. He even initially turned down Guardians of the Galaxy, according to the interview, because he didn’t want to “embarrass myself” like he did during the G.I. Joe audition. At the time, he hadn’t even met the director, James Gunn.

But things changed when Pratt decided to get in shape. He focused on his health and fitness, which gave him the confidence to go back to auditions.

When he finally met Gunn, the director liked him and offered him the role of Star-Lord. That role in Guardians of the Galaxy turned out to be a huge break. It not only made Pratt a household name but also opened the door for other big opportunities, including voicing Super Mario and Garfield.

According to the Esquire interview, Pratt’s motivation to get fit came from that earlier failure and concern about his health, not from any specific scene in Guardians of the Galaxy.

But the choice to improve himself physically and take the meeting with Gunn completely changed his career. Today, he’s one of the most famous action stars in Hollywood.

In the end, that one role in Guardians of the Galaxy was the turning point. It turned a struggling actor into a superstar, proving that sometimes a little self-improvement and the right opportunity can change everything.

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