I’M STILL AN OUTSIDER IN HOLLYWOOD

Chris Pratt talks about his initial days of struggle in Hollywood

TOKYO: Chris Pratt is the main lead in two of the biggest Hollywood franchises – Jurassic

World and Guardians of the Galaxy – and is one of its highest-earning stars, but the American actor still considers himself an outsider in Hollywood.

The actor believes “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 during a Disney press meet for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 here. The Disney film will release in India on May 5.

Pratt was a homeless man before he rose to stardom. He used to live in a Scooby-doo van and worked at a seafood restaurant in Hawaii in late 1990s. It was at this restaurant he was discovered by actor Rae Dawn Chong, who then gave him his first film Cursed Part 3 in 2000.

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 Califor- nia 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. His father died in 2014 when he was filming Jurassic World.

The actor now feels that finding a way into Hollywood has become less complicated over time.

While making a career on the small screen, Pratt continued working on his Hollywood dream and auditioned for films like Avatar, G.I. Joe and Star Trek. His filmography includes projects like Bride Wars, Moneyball, Zero Dark Thirty, The Magnificent Seven and more recently, Passengers.