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Hollywood star, Chris Pratt has revealed how he went from living in a van in Hawaii and waiting tables to landing his first movie role.
The 47-year-old Pratt, known for Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, shared the story on his Facebook page while recounting his humble beginnings before fame.
He credited actress-director Rae Dawn Chong for giving him his big break.
The story, which Pratt has told in interviews over the years, dates back to 2000 when he was 19 years old.
After dropping out of community college, he moved to Maui, Hawaii on a one-way ticket bought by a friend.
He lived in a Scooby-Doo-painted van and a tent on the beach with friends, working minimal hours, and waiting tables at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
According to Pratt, “Before Hollywood, I was living in a van in Hawaii and waiting tables at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. One day, the incredible Rae Dawn Chong walked into the restaurant, and naturally, I went up to her table and said, “Hey, you’re a movie star! What are you doing here?”
Chong, daughter of Tommy Chong and star of films like Commando and The Color Purple, was in Maui casting her directorial debut, a low-budget horror comedy short titled Cursed Part 3, which was a satire about a director trying to keep his cast from fleeing when a killer visits the set.
She asked if he could act, and he replied: “Fuck yeah, put me in your movie!”
When she asked for his phone number, Pratt didn’t have one. He gave her his friend Mike’s number instead.
“A couple days later, Mike casually mentions, ‘Oh, by the way, someone called you.’ ARE YOU KIDDING ME, MIKE?!” Pratt narrrated.
He called her back, picked up the 120-page script and read it three times straight, noting it was the first script he had ever read.
“My character’s name was Devon, and I remember thinking, ‘Sweet! I could totally play a Devon!'” he recalled.
Pratt said he showed up to the audition with every line and inflection mapped out in pencil.
Chong offered him the part and Pratt assumed they were shooting in Hawaii, but she told him it was in Los Angeles.
“I had about $60 to my name, a bag of clothes, and some rollerblades,” Pratt said. “Then Rae told me they’d fly me out. And I remember thinking right then and there, my life just changed forever. I’m going to be an actor.”
Cursed Part 3 was shot next door to Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.
It was never commercially released, but Pratt was paid $700 for the role, which he used to buy a car to drive to auditions.
He later joked, “I went from waiting tables in Maui to waiting tables in Beverly Hills, but with a little bit of movie experience under my belt.”
The film opened the door to Hollywood for him, leading to his TV debut in Everwood (2002-2006), Parks and Recreation, and later Marvel’s Star-Lord.
“I’ll forever be grateful to Rae for taking a chance on a kid working at a shrimp restaurant. Everybody starts somewhere, and this is where it all began for me,” Pratt added.
