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“The Unbreakable Man” - The Inspiring Story of Chris Pratt

Writer's picture: Hollywood MagazineHollywood Magazine

Updated: Jan 8


“The Unbreakable Man” - The Inspiring Story of Chris Pratt

“The Unbreakable Man” - The Inspiring Story of Chris Pratt

By: Santiago “Chago” Ortiz


The Hollywood scene is full of people wearing masks, in a metaphorical sense. While we have the charismatic, picture-perfect, always has “the right thing to say, at the right time”- view of some of the stars, it’s hard to imagine them living homeless, sleeping in their cars, and hustling for food and cash. Ironically, we sometimes judge people on the other side of the spectrum. Perhaps you’ve looked at a homeless person and you can’t see how this person would ever end up on Forbes’s “Highest Paid-something” list. Maybe a ‘homeless-to-movie star’ story would make a great article in a Southern California fashion and entertainment magazine!


Allow me to introduce to you a man in Hollywood who may relate to the previous “tale of wonders.” This mystery man has gone from hustler to homeless, to a Hollywood superstar. “Well, who is he?” Let’s unmask this “Scooby-Doo” mystery character and reveal his name, shall we? I am talking about no other than (Drum roll, please...) Mr. Chris Pratt (I hear ladies screaming already!).


The story of this Hollywood star started in his late teens when he dropped out of community college, where he studied acting for one semester. Chris had to hustle for money doing many things: he became a stripper at one point and also sold coupons to make a living before age 19. However, it wasn’t until a friend who happened to live in Hawaii coerced him into moving to Maui where he realized what his calling was.


At Maui, he lived in a van with a Scooby-Doo decal right by the beach. He got a job as a part-time waiter at Bubba-Gump Shrimp Company restaurant. Chris remembers working minimal hours, enough to cover him for gas, food and fishing supplies. It was in this job where he met actress-director Rae Dawn Chong, who has been in several films such as “Commando” and “The Color Purple.” She was directing a short horror comedy called “Cursed Part 3." Rae offered Chris an opportunity to go back to Los Angeles and to cast for her movie. It was then when Pratt said, "This is what I'm going to do with the rest of my life."

Though Rae Dawn’s movie never released, after moving to L.A., Chris persevered in the pursuit of his acting dream by working at a restaurant to make a living whilst casting for multiple gigs. However, desperate times called for desperate measures. While he was waiting on tables the money wasn’t coming in. In 2016, Chris described on “The Graham Norton Show” how he would have to eat out of other people’s plates to save some money and not go hungry, as he was taking home less than $30 per day at the Beverly Hills restaurant.


Pratt finally got his break for TV when he landed the role of Bright Abbott on WB’s Everwood in 2002. Though at that point he wasn’t landing lead roles in major movies, he did manage to create a resume of network series and supporting roles in movies with other big names, such as Angelina Jolie’s Wanted. In 2009, he was selected for the role of Andy Dwyer for the series Parks and Recreation. It was at that point where he refocused his own spotlight and turned P&R co-creator Michael Schur’s head, who said “this guy’s the funniest person we’ve ever seen. We’re not letting that guy go.”


As much exposure Pratt got with the P&R series, he was still struggling to get leading roles in major movies. It wasn’t until the year 2014, thanks to his perseverance and can do attitude when he got the lead roles in The Lego Movie and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy when his fame took off and gave him “Elite” status in Hollywood. Just recently he starred in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War and has many more lead role projects coming in the future.

Pratt has had now multiple awards and nominations including the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence for Jurassic World, and the MTV Generation Award. Forbes had Pratt listed as one of The World’s Highest Paid Actors and it is estimated that his net worth is somewhere around $30 Million U.S dollars.


What can we take from Chris Pratt’s incredible “tale of wonders”?


Anyone in Chris’s situation - back to when he was homeless, would have probably given up on a dream. Perhaps become overwhelmed with work, over what to eat, where to sleep, or what to wear. Applying Pratt’s own advice and wisdom used for his own success, it is time for this month’s “List of Morality.” This list highlights briefly some of the lessons we can learn from the adversities some of the world’s finest individuals endure, and how we can apply them in our lives. Inspired by simple and logical, biblical and philosophical ideas, applying these points will help each reader to understand the main reason behind writing the cover article.


“Breathe. If you don’t, you will suffocate.” When things get rough, it is always best to come back to the basics of life: breathing. This doesn’t just apply to the act of inhaling oxygen. It is also a metaphor to stop, take a moment and look at whatever cards are handed to you, and plan your game strategy, or your next move, so to speak. Chris’s move to Maui may have been that moment to “breathe” from the life of the Main Land and reflect on what he wanted to do with his life till he found that moment to exhale in front of Rae Dawn Chong and take her offer to try out for the next project.


“If you wait for things to be perfect you’ll just miss out on life.” I don't think anyone of us lives the ideal, picture-perfect life. We have struggles no matter what we do and how we do it. Because life can be so unpredictable, sometimes the perfect moment to do something is now. Life is very short and whatever we plan to do in the future may never come. This is especially true when it comes to spending quality time with our kids, friends and loved ones.

“Just be comfortable with who you are.” Regardless of whatever you see on any source, including this magazine, the ideal image of who you ought to be should be shifted to who you already are. Yes, you are already an individual who has something unique to offer that NOBODY in this world will be able to duplicate. Rather than trying to figure out how to look or be like someone else, Chris Pratt recommends for you just to be you by applying the mentioned quote, besides the ‘Owen Grady’ role for Jurassic World 3 is already taken.

“Don’t give up. Apply constant pressure for as long as it takes. It will break before you do. Go get it.” All of us who have set out to accomplish a few goals in our lives may find this latter quote rather inspiring. Chris Pratt said about living in Maui, Hawaii “It’s a pretty awesome place to be homeless.” He could have easily settled for this lifestyle perhaps till his retirement age. Instead, as soon as he saw an opportunity, he jumped right on it. Once he was in L.A. he didn't settle for the small roles he kept getting. Rather he kept working on more and more till he finally got his stardom! The same advice can be applied to those seeking a job. Perhaps you will get 100 "No's" before getting one "Yes."


“Nobody is perfect. You are imperfect [...] If you are willing to accept that, you will have grace.” Having a realistic point of view about where you are and where you want to go may help with your logistics. How? Have you tried writing down all your strengths vs. all your weaknesses? Maybe there is a unique talent you can use to help others and make a living while you're at it. Expecting perfection out of yourself may only bring bitterness in your view of life. Chris Pratt knew that about himself. In many occasions, he acknowledged how some of the roles he had cast for were not right for him, like Jake Sully in Avatar and Captain Kirk for Star Trek. Once he accepted that, he worked on his own “It factor” and he became the star we know him to be.


Chris Pratt’s struggles pre-stardom have shaped him into the man he is now. While not all of us may become elite actors in Hollywood, we can all learn something from Chris’s life. No matter how much we struggle every day, life will keep on going. The best thing we can do is accept what we are going through as our reality, and keep on finding ways to bring something positive out of our situation. One way to do it is by seeking out opportunities and/or learning to recognize them when they show up at our front door unannounced. Hard times create hard and strong people. Whatever hard times you are going through now, will only make you stronger and shape you into the person you will become. And when the easier times do show up, they will taste as sweet as honey. As Edmund Ventura from the movie Vanilla Sky said: “The sweet is never as sweet without the sour.”


SOURCES PAGE


https://www.businessinsider.com/chris-pratt-lived-in-a-van-before-he-was-famous-2014-8

https://www.biography.com/people/chris-pratt


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