It’s hard to imagine anyone but the actors James Gunn cast as the Guardians of the Galaxy. But it wasn’t always a sure thing that certain actors would get these iconic Marvel roles. Before James Gunn cast Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, actors like Eddie Redmayne, Adam Brody, and Lee Pace auditioned. But it was Pratt, then best-known as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Rec, who wowed Gunn with his comedic timing. But while his audition landed him the role, according to Gunn on DC’s Peacemaker podcast (via Slashfilm), he bombed the subsequent screen test. And this was a screen test needed to convince the Disney higher-ups to go with Pratt. Here’s what Gunn had to say:
I loved him in the role. He was perfect in his audition. And then he did the screen test. He was so… He was just, just hurting. […] I went behind the scenes. We actually built a whole set and everything. I went behind the scenes with him, and I was like, ‘This isn’t good. You’ve got to get it right, man.’ It’s like, I don’t know what to say in that case.
Luckily, after a talk with Gunn, Pratt nailed the screen test, went to the gym, and the rest is history. Gunn elaborated on that moment, saying, “Sometimes actors get in their heads. And one of the things I say to them sometimes is […] ‘Your feelings don’t matter.’ […] ‘How you feel in this moment has nothing to do with how it’s being projected towards a camera that’s picking you up. So how you feel has nothing to do with this.”
It was the second improv screen test with future Drax, Dave Bautista, that convinced Disney that Pratt was indeed the man for the role. Chris Pratt was fortunate that he had Gunn in his corner, believing in his talent. Otherwise, things might have turned out very differently.