Actor Chris Pratt’s journey to becoming one of Hollywood’s action stars began with him living in a van in Hawaii. Fox News reports, UNN writes.
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In a recent post on X, the 47-year-old actor recalled his beginnings: "Before Hollywood, I lived in a van in Hawaii and worked as a waiter at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company," he said, explaining that a chance encounter while working one evening changed his life.
"One day, the incredible Rae Dawn Chong came into the restaurant, and, of course, I walked up to her table and said: 'Hey, you’re a movie star! What are you doing here?'" he recalled. "She asked if I could act, and I said: 'Yeah, damn it, put me in your movie!'" he continued.
Since he did not have a phone, he gave Chong his friend Mike’s number, who told him several days later that someone had called him.
"I called her back, and, of course, she was serious," he wrote. "I went to pick up the script, returned to Mike’s house, and read all 120 pages three times in a row. It was my first script. My character’s name was Devon, and I remember thinking: 'Cool! I could totally play Devon!'"
After the audition, he recalled Chong telling him that he "could act and offered me the role."
While he was living in Hawaii, the film was being shot in Los Angeles, which made Pratt somewhat nervous, since he had "about $60 to my name, a bag of clothes and a pair of roller skates." He then learned that Chong would send him to Los Angeles for filming.
"I remember thinking then and there that my life had just changed forever. I was going to be an actor," he wrote. "That little film was 'Cursed Part 3,' a low-budget horror comedy that opened the door to Hollywood for me. I will always be grateful to Rae for giving a chance to a guy who worked at a shrimp restaurant." "Everyone starts somewhere, and this is where it all began for me," he noted.
Pratt’s role in "Cursed Part 3" led to bigger projects, including his breakthrough role as Andy Dwyer in the popular NBC series "Parks and Recreation."
He then landed the role of Peter Quill, or Star-Lord, in Marvel’s film "Guardians of the Galaxy," playing the character in two sequels, as well as in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame."