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Chris Pratt sees himself in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ character

Updated May 5, 2023 - 10:00 am

Saving the universe is a stressful job. But after the last megalomaniacal creature has been defeated, Star-Lord has the perfect way to unwind.

“My favorite way to blow off steam is to sing obnoxiously loud in the shower,” Chris Pratt says.

This is not the time to be self-conscious.

“I’ve done that Patrick Swayze song from ‘Dirty Dancing,’ ” he divulges. “I sing ‘She’s Like the Wind’ … loudly. It brings me joy.”

The act of being Chris Pratt is a joyful thing — and that is the point.

“Do you. Be you,” says the A-list movie star and 43-year-old captain of the ship. “My thing in life is to just be yourself, because you get to an age when you realize that it’s enough. Just be comfortable with who you are. That’s how I live my life. I’m pretty sure I’m right when I’m just being me.”

Part of being Pratt is possibly ending (or pausing) now. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” out this weekend, marks the end of the trilogy of this decadelong space fantasy franchise based on a beloved comic book series.

Pratt’s Peter Quill is still in the dumps over losing his love Gamora. But he must go back to saving the universe when a new baddie emerges: High Evolutionary, an unhinged genius who does his villainous deeds in the name of science.

In the name of living a good life, Pratt follows these tips:

Find the real you

Pratt points out that his character Peter Quill/Star-Lord’s path to finding himself mirrors his own journey. “My character — like most people in life — has been through it all,” he says during an L.A. media event. “He was definitely lost.

“In the beginning, he was running from the death of his mother and pretended to be this character based on these pop culture icons,” he adds. “He found himself there. He cut through all the BS and decided to be him. And I like searching for someone who is trying to find out who he is in life, because I’ve been that guy.”

Don’t listen to naysayers

When Pratt first signed on for the “Guardians” franchise, he wasn’t given the best news. “I’m still the guy who reminds people how far we’ve come. I remember some early reviews from the first movie that read, ‘“Guardians” will be the next big flop.’ We proved them wrong.” The first two volumes of the film franchise have earned over $1.6 billion worldwide.

Enjoy the moments

From the start, Pratt knew this was a special project. “I savored every moment of filming. It was such an amazing time, and when you know you’re in the middle of something special, you need to savor those moments,” he says. “You never want to look back and say, ‘Why did I just let it all go by without enjoying every second of it?” With ‘Guardians,’ I was really present to it all, even when it felt like a whirlwind.”

Be grateful

“I’m really grateful,” he says. “I write down in the back of my mind about my experiences and I live in that gratitude. Most of us can find at least one or two things to be grateful about in our lives each day.”

Celebrate your endings

Pratt celebrated the ending of “Guardians” instead of just letting it pass him by. “I remember when ‘Parks and Recreation’ ended and it was sad, but not all endings have to be sad. You can embrace that feeling of the last day of school before summer, which describes a lot of endings.”

Pratt made sure to celebrate the friendships he made on “Guardians” and told his co-stars what they meant to him over the years.

“Endings are such an emotional feeling and many of us resist those feelings of something that is over,” he adds. “I took that time to check in with everyone to talk about how we were all feeling. Often, we’re not alone in that last-day-of-camp feeling.”

Even the messy endings

On a plane ride with the cast to the “Guardians” premiere, Pratt was that guy. The coffee juggler! He put his very large cup of joe on the armrest of his seat, forgot about it, and then the whole thing dumped into the cloth, designer bag of actress Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis. She burst into tears, but not because her bag was destroyed. “She said, ‘I just realized it was the last time we’d be hanging out like this,’ ” explains Pratt, who still owes her a new purse.

Find your happy place

Pratt is married to writer Katherine Schwarzenegger. They started dating in 2018 after her mother, Maria Shriver, played Cupid. “I married way above my pay grade,” says Pratt, who has two daughters with Schwarzenegger — Lyla, 2, and Eloise, 1 — plus son Jack, 10, from his first marriage to Anna Faris.

The family owns a farm called Stillwater Ranch in Washington state, home of the two pigs his wife gave him. “Best birthday present ever,” Pratt says. “They’re named Tim and Faith because their love is palpable and inspiring.”

Pratt is known for working the farm. “I want to be the guy who works to live and not lives to work,” he says. “I love spending time on the farm with my family, fishing and just watching some glorious sunsets.”

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