Actor and star of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Jurassic World” Chris Pratt has spoken out about the criticism he has faced due to his Christian faith, revealing how he handles the hate he receives.
Quoting a biblical scripture, Pratt said: “If I was of this world, they would love me just like that, but as it is, I’ve chosen out of this world. That’s John 15:18 through 20.”
Pratt added that when it comes to dealing with the hate he receives, he has developed a “thick skin” and often turns to the life of Jesus Christ for inspiration.
“That’s the way it is, nothing new; 2,000 years ago, they hated him, too,” he said.
Pratt on Discovering Christianity
“In Maui, about four weeks before I was discovered to go to California, I was hanging with my buddy. I wasn’t quite old enough to drink, so we got somebody to go in and buy us some alcohol,” he said.“This guy came by and was like, ‘What are you doing tonight?’ I was like, ‘Oh, I dunno. I was just gonna wait out here. My friends are gonna buy me a bottle of Carlo Rossi and a sixer of Milwaukee’s Best Ice.’
“He was like, ‘I stopped because Jesus told me to stop and talk to you. He said to tell you you’re destined for great things.’ My friends came out, and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go with this guy.’ I gave my soul to Jesus within, like, two days. I was stuffing envelopes for his organization, Jews for Jesus. I’m not even sure, at that age—I was nineteen years old—I knew what Jewish was,” he explained.
A month after discovering God, Pratt was discovered by a director and moved to California to star in the 2000 horror comedy “Cursed Part III,” kicking off his Hollywood career.
During that same speech, in which he accepted the Generation Award, Pratt revealed his “nine rules” for life, featuring Christian guidance.
“You are imperfect. You always will be. But there is a powerful force that designed you that way, and if you are willing to accept that, you will have grace. And grace is a gift,” he said.
Fans Attempt to ‘Cancel’ Pratt
Pratt has often faced criticism due to his beliefs. In 2019, he faced calls from Marvel fans to be replaced as “Star-Lord” in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies when fellow Hollywood star and transgender Ellen Page claimed that Pratt’s church, Hillsong Church, was ”infamously anti-LGBTQ.”At the time, Pratt released a statement saying that Page’s claim couldn’t “be further from the truth.”
In 2020, Pratt faced backlash again when he decided to opt out of a virtual Q&A held by several “Avengers” stars to raise money for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s campaign, which led some fans to believe he may be a supporter of former President Donald Trump.
Russo said that fans’ assumptions about Pratt’s politics, integrity, and “who he is as a person” were false.
Speaking to Page Six in the May 8 interview, Pratt credited his previous job as a door-to-door salesman for helping him to learn how to deal with rejection.
“You can’t turn me away; there’s no stopping us,” he said.