Chris Pratt Wasn’t Initially Interested In Guardians Of The Galaxy, Says Casting Director
Actor Chris Pratt was not exactly interested in the role of Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy when he was first approached with an offer to audition, according to casting director Sarah Finn.
As reported by People, Finn, who is responsible for casting the stars that appear in some of America’s favorite Marvel films, told a Variety reporter at the Avengers: Endgame world premiere that the hardest part she has ever cast was probably Pratt’s role as Quill.
She explained that she found herself in a “challenging” situation because she kept insisting to director James Gunn that Pratt was the right person to play the role, even though the actor declined to audition for it. When Pratt did finally decide to audition, Gunn reportedly said that he did not want to see the actor.
Despite Gunn’s pushback, Finn did not give up. When she finally got the two of them together, she described it was “one of those eureka moments” where everything felt right. She said just moments after the audition, Gunn turned to her and said, “He’s the guy.”
Finn said that many incredible actors had their own wonderful takes on the role, but she kept going back to Pratt.
“It was great when he decided he was interested,” Finn said. “Now it’s legend [sic], he’s the perfect person.”
In real life, Pratt is also going to be settling down. The actor announced his engagement to Katherine Schwarzenegger in January. The two made an appearance at Monday’s premiere of Avengers: Endgame.
Peter Quill aka Chris Pratt with fiance Katherine Schwarzenegger attend Marvel Studios' 'Avengers: Endgame' World Premiere
Coverage ? of #AvengersEndGame ? https://t.co/ZFXpQRKkku#Avengers #marvel #MarvelStudios #Endgame #PeterQuill #ChrisPratt #KatherineSchwarzenegger pic.twitter.com/EhkwCnY10l
— Getty Images Entertainment (@GettyVIP) April 23, 2019
Pratt, 39, has enjoyed incredible success from the Galaxy of the Guardians franchise. Finn said she could understand his hesitation on auditioning for the role of Quill, simply because the movie involved a raccoon and a talking tree.
Sarah Finn has cast over 22 #Avengers movies and shares that the first person she cast was Robert Downey Jr. as #IronMan pic.twitter.com/8mdXvImJC7
— Variety (@Variety) April 22, 2019
Pratt is slated to star in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is scheduled to be released in 2022. At one point, it did not look as though Gunn, who directed the first two Galaxy movies, would be a part of the third. Disney removed him from the project last summer after some of Gunn’s old, offensive tweets drew attention. However, in March, Disney announced that it was reinstating Gunn to direct the film.
Pratt told People he was excited about the news.
“I think it’s the right move, I really stand behind it. I’m really proud of Disney for hiring James back and ultimately thrilled for not only us, but also for the fans. I think it’s going to wrap up the trilogy in the best way.”
