Chris Pratt’s Jurassic charm
Two short years ago, Chris Pratt was best known as the lovably chubby but generally clueless Andy Dwyer on
Parks and Recreation. Then Guardians of the Galaxy came calling, transforming him into a bankable leading man with an international following. Pratt, 35, has delighted us every step of the way — and he’s not done, with the massive Jurassic World opening Friday. How has he done it?
1. His meet-cute with Anna Faris is winning.
Pratt met Faris on the set of Take Me
Home Tonight in 2007. At first just friends (Faris was married to Ben Indra at the time), the two started dating after Faris filed for divorce. “It was like magnets,” he told Elle. “I just remember thinking, ‘Wow, in another life, that’s who I want to be with — we would be so good together, I just know it.’ ”
2. He cheerfully anticipates that he’ll put his foot in his mouth.
After certain Avengers (cough, Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner, cough) were forced to apologize for calling Black Widow a “slut,” Pratt pulled a pre-emptive strike: “I want to make a heartfelt apology for whatever it is I end up accidentally saying during the forthcoming Jurassic World press tour,” he wrote on Facebook. “To those I (will have) offended, please understand how truly sorry I already am.”
3. His Instagram is really fun.
Tune into all things @prattprattpratt for shots of “alligator-faced” flamingos, sweet family selfies (or “fellies,” as coined by Faris), and a cinematic photo of Lego Pratt riding a toy T. rex in the middle of London. “Official still shot from first day of production on the Jurassic World sequel,” Pratt captioned the latter.
4. He’s OK with nosy body transformation questions.
Yes, Pratt has gained Official Hunk Status, but he also used to be the guy who stuffed himself with cheeseburgers during table reads of Parks and Rec. Pratt continued packing on the pounds for the show while shedding weight fast for film roles. After walking out of a screening of Zero Dark Thirty, “I was like, ‘I’m going to get in shape and I’m never going to be fat again.’ . . . I was impotent, fatigued, emotionally depressed. I had real health issues that were affecting me in a major way.”
5. He’s such a sweet dad.
Now almost 3 years old, Pratt and Faris’s son, Jack, was born nine weeks early in 2012, weighing less than four pounds. “I’ve done all kinds of cool things as an actor — I’ve jumped out of helicopters and done some daring stunts and played baseball in a professional stadium — but none of it means anything compared to being somebody’s daddy,” said Pratt last year in a speech at a March of Dimes luncheon.