‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Star Chris Pratt Reveals Why He Almost Turned Down Marvel Movie

As one of the stars of Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt is part of one of the biggest movies of the year.

But he initially passed on the Marvel role, fearing any attempt to pursue the part would go the way of a failed G.I. Joe audition a few years earlier, the actor tells Esquire in its appropriately timed September issue cover story.

“When Guardians of the Galaxy was pitched to me, I said, ‘I don’t think so.’ I just didn’t picture myself getting the role,” Pratt says. “I didn’t want to go and embarrass myself like I did when I auditioned for G.I. Joe a couple of years previously. I went in there, and halfway through I saw the director’s eyes just glaze over. It made sense — I was a little heavy and out of shape. I was not gonna play someone from G.I. Joe. I did not look like a G.I. Joe action figure come to life.”

Pratt famously got in shape to play Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) in Guardians and he explains that the change has made him feel like a superhero in real life.

“I can do 40-inch box jumps now. Action-hero physical stuff,” he says. “Jumping that high feels really good. You see a giant hillside, and you think, I wanna get up that. You see a building, you think, I could climb that. When you get in shape, the world around you becomes things you wanna jump on and climb up.”