‘Jurassic World’, ‘Guardians’ star Chris Pratt grateful for opportunities
He is the definition of laid back. In a black T-shirt, jeans and well-worn boots on an early Saturday morning in L.A., Chris Pratt has the kind of relaxed style that would impress even his alter ego Peter/Star-Lord Quill.
At the upscale shopping mecca, The Grove, Pratt is causing quite a stir as he unveils a ginormous dinosaur replica.
Two words: feeding frenzy.
But as big as life is for the Minnesota native, a 4-year-old named Ryder would like him to sign his stuffed dino. Pratt stops everything to enjoy the moment. He gets it. “I’m raising a little man myself,” he said of 5-year-old Jack. “I know that you don’t want to lower any expectations.”
Pratt’s own are pretty big as “Jurassic World: Hidden Kingdom” opens this weekend.
Review-Journal: What is your favorite way to spend a Sunday when you’re not working?
Pratt: Church because I’m a man of faith. I believe God works in mysterious ways. Then I love spending time with my son Jack. He’s the biggest star in the galaxy. We just love to goof around. You should see our dance-offs at home. I’m always in last place.
Do you ever hunker down and watch your movies with your son?
My little guy has seen “Guardians (of the Galaxy) 1” and 2. He loved them, which was the best review. We just watched “Black Panther” three times. His new favorite character is Black Panther-Spider-Man. He made a mix of these two characters and didn’t include Star-Lord, my character. It’s cool. I’m not hurt. I’m just Dad to him. Not Star-Lord.
How has being a father changed your life?
It’s an awesome responsibility. I know what I will do, because that’s how I was raised, and I know what I won’t do because of the way I was raised. It’s the journey every parent takes.
You’ve had an outstanding year so far with “Avengers: Infinity War” grossing $1.9 billion worldwide, and now the sequel to “Jurassic World.”
It’s been amazing. A really special time. But it’s all about the small moments for me. It’s that one person who said, “That movie really meant something to me.” You can’t just look at the box office, although you’re grateful for it. You just give everything to the character and hope it finds an audience.
What was it like to reprise your role of Owen, dino trainer, in “Jurassic World?”
The stakes are much higher in this one. We blow up the island, which is a big game changer. It also leads to a feeling of being a bit more isolated with the dinosaurs for Owen and Claire while they’re trying to save them. This film is also filled with a little more horror. We have more dinosaurs than have ever been seen on the screen together, making it bigger, better and bolder. The people interact more with the dinosaurs, too.
Was there pressure to repeat the success of 2015’s “Jurassic World,” the fifth-largest grossing domestic movie in history?
Of course, everyone was saying to us, “So, let’s do that again … please.” Doing the sequel was like going back and seeing your old friends. You get in there and want to win the championship again.
Was it another case of looking at dots that would later become the dinosaurs through computer magic?
We worked with more animatronic dinosaurs this time, so it would feel as if you were acting opposite something real instead of just adding it in later with the computer. They had about 12 people operating the character of Blue. It was so real. Every muscle in her face and body moved.
Is there a message to these movies besides buy a big tub of popcorn and have fun?
It’s about how when man messes with nature and evolution, there are very bad consequences.
What was it like to introduce Peter Quill/Star-Lord into the Avengers world in “Infinity War?”
What I loved was there were so many great, interesting combinations of the superheroes. I loved the scenes with everyone in the frame. I got to work with Downey, Hemsworth and so many other outstanding actors. It was just really cool. You look at that movie and think, “Yeah, I’m in it. Yes!”
Is it true you almost turned down the role of Star-Lord?
At first, I didn’t see myself as a Captain Kirk type. But then I realized that it was so different. It had so much heart.
Two franchises and a slew of upcoming films. Fill in the blank, Chris Pratt is …
Grateful. I’ll forever be grateful that someone took a chance on the guy from “Parks and Rec.”
