James Gunn recalls reluctance to meet Chris Pratt for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’

The quest to find Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy is a well-documented one, but director James Gunn was reluctant to meet Chris Prattwho went on to play the anti-hero.

In the latest episode of Armchair Expert, Gunn recounted to host Dax Shepard that casting the lead role in the Marvel movie was a difficult task. Pratt, at the time Gunn was casting for Guardians of the Galaxy, was “the heavy guy on Parks and Rec.” The director wasn’t sure if he had what it took to be Peter Quill.

“This joker? No way,” Gunn recalled thinking at the time.

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But after auditioning around 300 actors and screen testing over two dozen, Gunn was at a loss. He and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige were struggling to find the right guy to play the role.

Gunn said casting director Sarah Finn “tricked” him into meeting Pratt. Desperate, he decided to give the Parks and Recreation actor a chance.

“It was not 12 seconds into the audition and I turned around to Sarah and I said, ‘He’s the one,'” Gunn said.

The list of famous names who tried out for Star-Lord is impressive. Adam Brody, Glenn Howerton, and Joel Edgerton were among the prospects.

“I, unlike Chris, didn’t quite sort of understand the tone of it the way he did and the way that those guys did,” Edgerton previously said. “And I wasn’t really sure how I could be a part of that tone.”

Brody has also said Pratt was a better fit because he was “bigger, stronger.”

Guardians of the Galaxy was a hit that went on to have two sequels. The third installment was the last Marvel movie that Gunn directed. Gunn, now the CEO of DC Studios, most recently helmed Supermanwhich comes out July 11.

Listen to the full podcast below.