Jurassic World confirms Chris Pratt’s leading man status, writes Helen Barlow.
Chris Pratt is part of a new generation of Hollywood actor, a kind of old-fashioned leading man who can do both fearless and funny.
During his days on television's Parks and Recreation he piled on the pounds and even shed his gear when a scene wasn't working..
Today, sporting a buff physique and appearing to be in perfect shape, he says he's done with the yo-yoing weight gain and loss and is happy with the way he is.
In Jurassic World the fresh-faced 35-year-old recalls a young handsome Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
It's no coincidence as this too is an Amblin Entertainment production, even if Steven Spielberg has relinquished directing duties.
Today in Paris, Pratt is sporting a beard for another big screen revival - a new take on western, The Magnificent Seven.
Pratt was a longtime fan of the Jurassic Park franchise. In 2010 he even recorded a video log where Spielberg supposedly asked him to be in Jurassic Park 4 and he texted that "he'd get back to him".
"It was both literally and figuratively a joke to think that Steven Spielberg would cast me in Jurassic Park 4!" he muses.
Given the box office success of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Lego Movie last year, Pratt didn't have to audition for the role of dinosaur trainer Owen. He has recently been cast alongside Jennifer Lawrence in the sci-fi romance Passengers. The Hollywood Reporter has said Lawrence will be paid a whopping US$20 million, while Pratt's fee will rise from US$10 million if Jurassic World does well.
So the muscular newcomer to Hollywood's A-list is working hard on the promotion trail, travelling from China to London, to Paris and soon Los Angeles.
"My people were like, 'If this becomes the biggest movie in history and he's not getting paid very much he's probably going to fire us. We need to protect ourselves'. And I think they have," Pratt joked.
Having bought his mother a house - his dad died last year at age 60 following a long battle with multiple sclerosis - Pratt now he says he can "stay in nice hotels and eat good food", even if the lack of privacy has been a challenge. At least he was older when fame struck.
"I do feel as though I'm more equipped than many people who find this level of success really quickly," he says. "I've learned lessons through my slow climb in my career. My wife was a star when we met," he says referring to Anna Faris, 38, with whom he has a two-year-old son, "but I saw her become an even bigger star and I saw the way that the world and the business started reacting to her. People started treating me in a way they never had as well.
A scene from the movie Jurassic World.
"In the beginning I didn't know what the f*** I was doing but it was good that I learned on the job, doing something like 300 episodes of television over the course of 12 years, as well as lots of parts in movies."
Though Pratt is driven and more fastidious in his acting than he may seem, it's not all about the money.
"One thing that Chris and I share is we both act as though we have nothing to lose, even though we do," says Colin Trevorrow, Jurassic World's director.
"I think Pratt's ability and his willingness to remain himself and true to himself is something the generation of film fans and people who care about cinema who are our age and even younger appreciate."
