TELEVISION MUSIC ‘I’M STILL AN OUTSIDER IN HOLLYWOOD’

Chris Pratt feels that the industry has the tendency to homogenise its actors

Chris Pratt (above) is the lead in two of the biggest Hollywood franchises, Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy, but the American actor still considers himself an outsider in Hollywood.

The actor believes that “Hollywood has a tendency to homogenise its men and women” and that is why entering showbiz with an outsider’s perspective worked in his favour. “I definitely felt like an outsider (when he started working in the West) and I was (an outsider). I probably still am (an outsider) in a way, although I spend more time in Los Angeles (LA) than out of LA,” Pratt said.

The 37-year-old asserts that there is “great benefit” of being an outsider. He says that “being an outsider is becoming more and more helpful now”. “People who live in California and LA for a long time... They all become very similar. There is great weather, great food, easygoing attitude, it is pretty progressive, thoughtful and mindful, all that is really great but it doesn’t necessarily make (for) the most diverse, compelling group of actors,” said the star, who grew up in Lake Stevens in Washington state.

Appreciating the new wave of diversity in Hollywood, Pratt said: “A lot of guys become exactly the same. For me, it was really helpful to have this outsider perspective. People in LA often cast a Canadian, or someone from Australia, Britain or India or anywhere from the outside because they have a point of view that is different from the creators and the writers in LA.” Born in Virginia, his mother worked at a supermarket chain and his father was a contractor.