Tragic Details About Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt is known for his role as the Star-Lord in "Guardians of the Galaxy," as well as the lovable goofball Andy Dwyer on "Parks and Recreation." While the characters he plays tend to have an air of being light-hearted and carefree, Pratt's life hasn't always been rainbows and butterflies. Twitter users ranked Pratt as the "worst" Chris out of all the famous Chrises. The memes became so widespread that the actor responded to the backlash, revealing his theory as to why he turned so many people off. According to Pratt, the disdain has to do with his Christianity. "Religion has been oppressive as f*** for a long time," he said in a 2022 interview with Men's Health. "I didn't know that I would kind of become the face of religion when really I'm not a religious person."
Despite the hurdles the actor has faced in his life, he finds it important to maintain a positive outlook on the world. When confronted about some of his struggles, particularly in regard to his divisive relationship with the public, Pratt offered a grateful outlook. "You don't ever wanna get caught complaining or anything," he said while speaking to Men's Health. "'Cause I have so many blessings. I consider everything a blessing truly in my life."
Keep reading to learn more about the actor's trials and tribulations that shaped him into the person he is today.
His humble upbringing
Chris Pratt may have purchased a $15 million mansion (via Dirt), but his upbringing was a whole lot less lavish. The actor was raised in Washington by his mother, who worked in a supermarket, and his late father, who worked as a taconite miner (per Esquire). Pratt has shared that life wasn't always easy in his community, where there was a local food bank to help feed the families in need. The "Guardians of the Galaxy" star explained that his family was not immune to going hungry.
While doing a live chat on his Instagram with the CEO of Feeding America, Pratt spoke up about the subject. "I think oftentimes when you're illuminating this message...and shining a light on this need, we're saying, 'How can we get people to help?' But it's important, too, to destigmatize the idea that if you need help, it's okay to accept it." The actor added, "I grew up in a small town. We had 7,000 people in my town, and we had some economic hard times, and we had a food bank nearby... I'm not ashamed to say that there were moments when my family would need to eat from a food bank."
He encouraged his followers not to be ashamed if they needed help during the first holiday season of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Parks and Rec star experienced homelessness
Chris Pratt spent a chunk of his early 20s without a roof over his head or a home to call his own. The A-list celebrity once lived in a van with Scooby-Doo and Shaggy painted on it, he shared on Facebook. Pratt explained on the "SmartLess" podcast, "I did like a semester of community college that I was paying for myself, and I hated it. ... I became a door-to-door salesman." Pratt sold coupons for businesses in Colorado. While he did well with the job, he did not succeed in trying to break out on his own. Pratt eventually moved to Maui after his friend there bought him a plane ticket. The star worked for Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and camped on the beach with his pals every night, eventually landing his first role in "Cursed Part 3."
On Instagram, the actor recalled how challenging it was to find food. He let the world know how far he's come since those challenging days, writing, "Fifteen years ago I felt the same passion I feel today, but I had very little opportunity. I had to hustle hard and go hungry. I had to eat sardines and figure out how to get gas money." Despite how difficult it was to find steady work as an actor, he refused to give up his dreams in order to make a more comfortable living. The "Parks and Rec" star added, "I never had a plan B. I never stopped believing. Ever."
Chris Pratt's difficult relationship with his late father
Chris Pratt's father, Dan Pratt, passed away after a tragic decade-long battle with MS. According to Chris, his father was a tough person who didn't always react well to his son's softer ways. The star shared in an interview with Men's Health, "He was a boxer and a bouncer. He used to f***ing kick the s*** out of people." In contrast, the celeb said, "I am a sensitive person. My dad knew that when I was a youngster, and it kind of made him dislike me. Or not dislike me but act like he disliked me — because he probably grew up in a world where a guy like that could get eaten alive. And so he wanted to put calluses on me."
In a candid interview with GQ, Chris also discussed his father's illness. "When he lost his ability to walk he gave up on life. Men of his ilk are defined by their ability to provide physically for their family and when that's taken away, that was a joke to him." Chris indicated that his father never verbally admitted that he was proud of his son for all his achievements. But this didn't bother the "Jurassic World" actor. He knew based on his father's actions that Dan was pleased. Chris told GQ that his dad always watched whatever he starred in and kept up to date with his acting. After his death, Chris kept an old compass of his father's.
The tragic life-threatening illness of his son
Chris Pratt has an adorable son named Jack whom he shares with his former wife, Anna Faris. While Jack is thankfully quite healthy now (according Us Weekly), he faced some life-threatening struggles in his formative years that ignited genuine fear within Pratt and Faris. According to Faris in her autobiography titled "Unqualified," her son was born prematurely, which caused him to face several complications with regard to his health.
"On our fourth day in the NICU, the pediatric neurosurgeon sat Chris and me down to tell us that Jack had some severe brain bleeding and there was a chance that he could be developmentally disabled," Faris wrote in her memoir (per People). She added, "I was in complete shock ... So Chris and I did what we could, which was hold hands and hope and face it together."
In an interview with People, Pratt was asked about his best and worst days. The actor's best day came with finishing up the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie, which he had been filming for months on end. When filming wrapped, Pratt was finally reunited with Faris and their son Jack. He was so happy to see baby Jack that he started bawling. Taking after the comedic Chris Pratt, Jack wanted to stop his father from crying, so he began making silly faces to cheer him up.
His heartbreaking divorce from Anna Faris
When Anna Faris and Chris Pratt were in a relationship, many regarded them as one of the most adorable couples in Hollywood. Both were beloved for their real-life sense of humor along with their hilarious movie and television roles. Their lives looked ideal from the outside, so when news broke out about their heartbreaking divorce, fans were left scratching their heads as to what went wrong between Faris and Pratt.
Faris revealed in her "Anna Faris is Unqualified" podcast that she simply had no one to confide in when it came to marital troubles. "Because I didn't have a close group of girlfriends, I think it stunted me in a lot of ways. One of them being that I never talked about any issues. ... with Chris, I think that we both protected that imagery, even within our close circles," Faris told Rachel Bilson.
While Pratt has been less vocal about his divorce from Faris, he did make one comment during an interview with Entertainment Weekly where he referenced the struggles of splitting up with his former wife. "Divorce sucks," Pratt told the magazine. "But at the end of the day, we've got a great kid who's got two parents who love him very much. And we're finding a way to navigate this while still remaining friends and still being kind to one another. It's not ideal, but yeah, I think both of us are actually probably doing better."
Chris Pratt's sadness over his social media backlash
Chris Pratt has faced a wave of negative scrutiny and backlash on social media. Twitter and TikTok users have condemned the actor for past scandals and controversies, particularly criticizing his alleged involvement in a homophobic church. Following scrutiny from actor Elliot Page, Pratt stated in an Instagram Story that he was not anti-LGBTQ, specifying, "I am a man who believes that everyone is entitled to love who they want free from the judgment of their fellow man" (via E! News).
While Pratt is usually able to brush off criticisms with his sense of humor, like the time when he was voted as the "worst" Chris, there was one particular incident where trolls led him into a depression.
It all started when Pratt posted a picture to Instagram with his wife that included a lengthy caption. The "Jennifer's Body" actor wrote of Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, "She's given me an amazing life, a gorgeous healthy daughter... Her heart is pure and it belongs to me." Critics assumed this was an insult to Pratt's former wife and his son Jack, who faced numerous health complications during his birth. Pratt responded to the hate in an interview with Men's Health, expressing how much this hurt him. "That is f***ed up," said Pratt. "My son's gonna read that one day. ... it's etched in digital stone. It really f***ing bothered me, dude. I cried about it."
He was 'emotionally depressed' due to his weight
Let's be honest — Chris Pratt has that undeniable "Pratt" charm at any size. But the "Jurassic Park" actor said that when he hopped on the scale and discovered himself to be nearly 300 pounds, he personally didn't feel comfortable in his own skin. Not only did he have trouble with finding confidence in the way he looked, but he also admitted it was physically and mentally challenging for him to carry himself. Pratt said his diet was extremely poor at the time, and he excused his unhealthy eating habits as a sacrifice he was willing to make for his "Parks and Rec" character, Andy Dwyer.
"I said to the creators that I wanted to get fatter for the role. They loved it," told Men's Health U.K. (via E! News). "I announced it to the whole cast, and then it became a bit of a game: how fat can I get and how fast can I get that fat." The actor added, "I was impotent, fatigued, emotionally depressed. I had real health issues that were affecting me in a major way."
Fortunately, the "Guardians of the Galaxy" stars feels healthier these days. He continues sharing his own brand of religious inspiration with fans, who can't wait to see what new projects he'll light up the screen with next!
If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).