15 Awesome Facts That Prove Chris Pratt Is The Perfect Human

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Chris Pratt was born on June 21, 1979, in Virginia, Minnesota. His parents are Kathleen and Daniel Pratt. His mother worked at the Safeway supermarket and his father worked in mining and remodeled homes. His father died of Multiple sclerosis in 2014. With his parents' support, Pratt decided to try a career in Film and TV.

Chris Pratt is quickly becoming one of the top leading men in Hollywood. He started his career with small roles in television and film. Later, he would become a television star and then a feature film star. He had his first big breakthrough with his role in the hit NBC sitcom, Parks & Recreation. He eventually began to land major roles in movies. He has appeared in several popular films, such as Moneyball, The Lego Movie and Jurassic World. He currently plays the role of Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, which is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Additionally, he finds himself on several Hollywood lists. In 2014, People magazine ranked him number 2 on their annual list of 'Sexiest Men Alive'. Time magazine named him on their '100 Most Influential People' in 2015.

Chris Pratt is quickly becoming a household name and one of the most famous celebrities in the world. It seems like everything from his personal life, career and physique, have been talked about. However, there might be a few things about him that might surprise you. Here is a look at 15 Facts You Probably Don't Know About Chris Pratt.

15) Mr. Popular and Monkeyboy

It should come as no surprise that throughout high school, Chris Pratt was very well liked by just about everyone. He was a super athlete but despite that he was everybody's friend. His friends described him as being “humble” and “outgoing”. A former classmate wrote about him in the local paper and stated, “He was just as popular with the jocks as he was with the preps, stoners and drama kids.” He’s still involved with his former high school. He narrated and produced a documentary for the wrestling team. His friends gave him a very unique nickname, which is Monkeyboy. Apparently, this was because he’s a huge fan of monkeys. He said in an interview that, “I was obsessed with monkeys. It became my nickname in high school. Every Monday I would do a comic strip of monkeys and that’s how it first started, and every time I would see a stuffed monkey, I would buy it.” He also noted that some of his old friends still call him that and say, “Monkeyboy done alright.”

14) Teen Drama

Chris Pratt eventually landed TV roles that would help move his career along. He was a main cast member on the WB teen series, Everwood. Greg Berlanti created Everwood and it aired from 2002 to 2006. Pratt was a cast member for the entire run of the series. He played the role of Bright Abbott, who was a lovable character that struggled with personal issues. It also starred Treat Williams, Gregory Smith, Debra Mooney, Vivien Cardone, John Beasley and Emily VanCamp. Pratt was nominated twice at the Teen Choice Awards for his role on Everwood. Next he landed a role on the fourth season of the hit teen drama The O.C. Josh Schwartz created The O.C. which starred Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowan, Benjamin McKenzie,Mischa Barton and Adam Brody. Pratt appeared in the final season of The O.C. playing an environmentalist named Che. He famously sings a song about polar bears to Seth (Adam Brody), while naked.

13) Physical Transformations

This one is probably well known by most people but it's worth noting. Chris Pratt is known for his charm, sense of humor and commitment to a role. Throughout his career his physique has changed several times depending on the demands of his role. While on Everwood, he weighed roughly 225 pounds. Later, he auditioned to play Oakland A's first basemen Scott Hatteberg, in the movie MoneyBall. However, he was turned down because he was considered too overweight. He began to workout and lost the weight. He lost a total of 30 pounds and was given the role. He put the weight back on for his role in the film 10 Years, and lost it again for his role in Zero Dark Thirty. He put the weight back on for his role in Delivery Man, where he weighed around 230 pounds. He lost the weight again and put on a substantial amount of muscle for his role as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians Of The Galaxy.

12) He Appeared In Three Best Picture Nominated Films, Three Years In A Row

Chris Pratt started his career as a lovable, goofy and charming character. He was often cast in comedic roles. He became well known for his role on the NBC sitcom Parks & Recreation. However, he soon began to show his incredible range of skills. Between 2011 and 2013, he appeared in three films that were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. In 2011, he played Oakland A's first basemen Scott Hatteberg in Moneyball, which starred Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Chris Pratt received praise for his performance. In 2012, he played a US Navy Seal in Zero Dark Thirty, which stared Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke and Joel Edgerton. In 2013, he appeared in the film Her, which starred Joaquin Phoenix,Scarlett Johansson and Amy Adams. All these roles would gain Pratt universal praise for his acting and would help propel his career as a leading man.

11) Chris and His Guitar

Chris Pratt is a multi-talented individual. In several of his roles he is often singing and playing a guitar. He’s a very talented musician. He showed off his musical talents in Parks & Recreation, The O.C. and The Five Year Engagement. There have been a few instances of him singing in public. Including the time he sang to his wife while hosting SNL and sang his favorite Guardians of the Galaxy song “O-h-h Child”, during an interview. In his younger days, he had plans to open a small studio and record some tracks. Most likely his acting career has delayed that a bit. However, it’s been noted that he is a little shy when it comes to his music, but clearly nobody can tell. Prior to his fame, he lived out of his van in Maui. During that time he stated that he mostly smoked weed and listened to Dr. Dre’s album, 2001. He memorized all the lyrics of every track from that album. Not too long ago, he showed off his skills when he rapped, "Forgot About Dre".

10) The High School Wrestler

Before his rise to the top of Hollywood, he was on top in high school. Throughout high school he was a well-known athlete and participated in several sports. He was a track athlete and fullback on the football team. However, his best sport was probably wrestling. He once placed fifth in a state-wrestling tournament. Later, Pratt would star in the enormously popular film Guardians of The Galaxy. The cast included Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper,Vin Diesel and Dave “Batista” Bautista. Batista is a former WWE Superstar and former multi-time WWE Champion. Pratt and Batista became friends during filming. Batista appeared on Anna Faris’ Podcast to teach Anna and Chris some wrestling moves. Of course, Anna and Pratt are married. Batista taught Pratt how to execute a Power-Bomb on his wife. In 2016, Pratt won the MTV Movie Award for Best Action Performance and thanked several wrestlers, including Roddy Piper,The Rock and Batista.

9) He Learned To Play Baseball For Moneyball

Moneyball was based on the nonfiction book of the same name. It told the story of Oakland Athletics' General Manager Billy Beane, who used a sabermetric approach towards analyzing players and scouting. Bennett Miller directed the film, which was released September 23, 2011. Chris Pratt played the Oakland A’s Scott Hatteberg. Hatteberg was a catcher but when traded to the Athletics, was moved to first base. Chris Pratt is known for his incredible dedication to his roles. He had to learn to play for the role. He also had to learn to play and act like Hatteberg. He attended baseball camps with ex-players and even played some real baseball. He also had to learn how to bat with his left hand. Before landing the role he attended a baseball tryout. He said in an interview, “We did a tryout and that’s how they cast 95 percent of the baseball players, was just based on physical ability and the likeness to the real players in real life. So, you’re definitely seeing baseball players playing real baseball. I think that was really important for Bennett and everyone making the movie to stay authentic to the sport. There are guys hitting 95 MPH fastballs in this movie.”

8) Relationships

Chris Pratt does pretty well with the ladies. His advice for single men is to be caring and to have a strong confidence, as opposed to being a mean jerk. He noted that his secret with the ladies is to have a “quiet confidence”. Chris Pratt is currently married to actress Anna Faris. However, before that he dated his former Everwood co-star Emily VanCamp. At the time they were actually playing brother and sister on the series. They broke up in 2007. Anna Faris currently stars in the CBS sitcom, Mom. She also appeared in several films, such as Lost in Translation, Smiley Face and the Scary Movie films. Chris and Anna met on the set of the film Take Me Home Tonight. Michael Dowse directed the film, which was released March 4, 2011. It also starred Topher Grace, Teresa Palmer and Dan Fogler. In the film, Anna and Chris were love interests and apparently that chemistry carried over. They become engaged in 2008 and married in 2009. They have a son Jack, who was born in 2012.

7) Near Death Experience

Chris Pratt once had a very near death experience, while he was fishing. He was fishing at Three Sisters rock point. He noted that it was dangerous and intense water that was shark infested. While he was fishing he was caught off guard by a huge wave that engulfed him. In an interview with The Mirror he said, “I’m on this point fishing into this hole and I didn’t notice a set of waves coming in. All of a sudden there was no land around me, I was surrounded by water almost up to my waist. I felt the weight of the water start pulling me in. I was wearing flip-flops and I just dropped everything, went down and grabbed the lava rock. It nearly pulled me off but, before the waves could come back up, I somehow climbed up the wall. I lost my shoes, my rod, but I was very lucky." Luckily for all of his fans, he survived and has gone on to have an incredible career.

6) Stripper, Server and Salesmen

Chris Pratt briefly attended college before dropping out. He took on several odd jobs trying to make enough money to simply survive. He worked for a time as a daytime stripper. When he was 18, he was hired to perform at his friend's grandmother’s birthday. He got paid $40. When talking about his stripping days he said, “I was always a very much naked person. I loved to always get naked. I was very free, so I thought, 'I may as well get paid.'" He also worked as a coupon salesman and was apparently very good at it. During an interview with Conan O'Brien, he noted that he was so good at being a coupon salesman that he eventually got his own office and team. At some point, he moved to Hawaii, and for a time was living out of his van. While living out of his van he noted that he mostly just smoked weed and lived by the beach. He ended up working as a server at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, which would change his life.

5) What He Learned From Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Chris Pratt worked together only once, which was in the 2011 film Moneyball. However, Hoffman left a lasting impression on Pratt. Pratt played first basemen Scott Hatteberg, and Hoffman played team coach Art Howe. Philip Seymour Hoffman appeared in several critically acclaimed films, such as Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski and Mission Impossible III. He won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Truman Capote in the film Capote. Hoffman struggled with addiction and died on February 2, 2014. Hoffman was one of the actors that Pratt admired and wanted to work with. He noted that Hoffman was very kind and wanted to meet his family and get to know him better. Pratt recalled how Hoffman prepared before shooting and learned to focus. He said in an interview, “Maybe five minutes before rolling, he adopts this behavior that lets everyone know you’re not supposed to talk to him in the best way. He puts his head down and starts pacing back and forth… there’s a lot of people and a lot of conversation to be had, but when it’s time to focus - you have to focus. That’s what I noticed with him, his incredible focus.”

4) He Turned Down Guardians of The Galaxy

Rejection is something that every actor deals with at one point or another. Initially, Chris Pratt turned down the role of Star-Lord in the smash hit Guardians of The Galaxy. This was because of some earlier experiences. Pratt auditioned for the role of Jake Sully in Avatar and James T. Kirk is the Star Trek reboot. He was rejected from both auditions. He once said in an interview, “They said they want somebody that has ‘that thing,’ that ‘It factor’ … I walked into that room knowing that I did not have that thing, and I walked out thinking I would never have that thing, probably … I figured, I’ll find a way to make money and if that means I’m playing character roles, that’s terrific. People have to work. I just don’t want it to be at a f***ing restaurant.” This led him to believe that he wasn’t right for the role of Star-Lord. However, he later changed his mind and agreed to star in the movie. Chris Pratt will reprise his role as Star-Lord and will star in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.2, to be released in 2017. He also stars in the western remake of The Magnificent Seven, along with a star-studded ensemble cast. He will also star in Passengers, along with Jennifer Lawrence.

3) Andy Dwyer Was Only Supposed To Be In One Season Of Parks and Recreation

Chris Pratt had his big breakthrough with his role as the goofy, dim-witted yet lovable Andy Dwyer. Parks and Rec revolved around the parks department and its employees in the Pawnee, Indiana Government. Greg Daniels and Michael Schur created the series, which aired for 7 seasons from 2009 to 2015. The series starred Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Rob Lowe, Adam Scott, Retta, Aubrey Plaza and Aziz Ansari. The series was highly praised for its writing and acting. In fact, several actors had their big break with this series. In particular, Chris Pratt was one of the breakout stars of the series. However, his character was only to be in the first season and then written off. Creator Micheal Schur, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, said about Pratt, “Almost at the point of the audition we were like, Oh we have to reconceive this, because this guy’s the funniest person we’ve ever seen. We’re not letting that guy go.” Chris Pratt became a regular cast member and was given a larger role in the series.

2) Love & Dead Bugs

Chris Pratt and Anna Faris started dating in 2007 when they met on the set of Take Me Home Tonight. They married on July 9, 2009, in Bali, Indonesia. Their son Jack was born in 2012. Chris and Anna are possibly one of the most adorable power couples in Hollywood. Early in their relationship Pratt put on a good amount of weight, which he blamed on Anna’s amazing cooking. Pratt also loves to style his wife’s hair and is apparently really good at French braiding. They have a lot in common; they’re charming, hilarious and gorgeous. However, there is something else that brought them together and that they bond over. Coincidentally, both are huge dead bug collectors. While on the set of Take Me Home Tonight, Pratt mentioned that he was a dead bug collector and the two have been in love ever since. He said in an interview that, “It’s unusual, so clearly we were meant to be. When we found out that was something we shared, we merged them together on one wall, so come birthday times and gift time, we get all these wonderful presents of dead bugs. It’s something we both think is cool."

1) Rae Dawn Chong Discovered Him At The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company

Chris Pratt got discovered in one of the most unlikely ways. In 1998, he was working at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. One day his customer was actress and aspiring director Rae Dawn Chong, the daughter of comedian Tommy Chong. Tommy Chong is best known for his time apart of the comedy duo, Cheech & Chong. Rae Dawn Chong was an accomplished actress and appeared in several films, such as Quest For Fire, Commando and The Color Purple. She was working on directing her first film when she went to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp. She found her server, Chris Pratt, to be hilarious and was so impressed she offered him a role in her new film. He agreed to appear in the film and moved to Los Angeles. The film was a horror spoof called Cursed Part 3. It also starred Amy Lyndon and Annie Little. The run time was roughly 25 minutes. Cursed Part 3 wasn’t a success but it started Chris Pratt’s career. He stayed in Hollywood and soon started landing minor roles.

Sources: moneyinc.com , cinemablend.com, time.com, IMDB.com