Did you know THIS Marvel superhero once waited tables for work?

Hollywood’s all glitz and glitter on the surface, but the truth is, most stars have stories packed with struggle. Chris Pratt’s life proves it. Today, everyone knows him as the wisecracking hero from 'Guardians of the Galaxy' or the raptor-wrangler in 'Jurassic World.' But did you know, Pratt used to wait tables before he ever set foot on a Hollywood set?

Sure, it’s hard to picture Star-Lord in an apron, but that’s where his story really starts.

Life before the Hollywood career

Christopher Michael Pratt (born June 21, 1980), now known as Chris Pratt, was born in Virginia, Minnesota, and grew up in Lake Stevens, Washington. He was interested in acting from an early age, through school plays and community theatre. So, after finishing his last year of high school, Chris took a few community college courses before dropping out to move to Maui, Hawaii, to start his career as an actor.




However, Chris didn’t have his first Hollywood deal served to him on a silver platter. In fact, back before the red carpets and blockbuster deals, Pratt was just a guy in Maui, working at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, which was a restaurant inspired by the classic film ‘Forrest Gump’, and living out of a van.

But fate had other plans. While working at the same joint, Pratt met Rae Dawn Chong, actress and director, who noticed the ‘spark’ in him and gave him his first shot in her short film ‘Cursed Part 3’. That Pratt project never saw the light of day, but it got him moving. He packed up and headed to Los Angeles, chasing something most people just dream about.

The grind and the rise in Hollywood

For Pratt, those early LA years weren’t easy, nor glamorous. He hustled, grabbed any role he could, and scraped by. ‘Everwood’ (2002–2006) was his first real break, and then ‘The O.C.’ (2006–2007) kept him in the game. But when ‘Parks and Recreation’ came out, that’s where people really took notice. Andy Dwyer, the lovable goofball, basically put Pratt on the map. He then started getting supporting roles in films like ‘Moneyball’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, which led the way for him to more opportunities.

Then came 2014, and everything flipped. Pratt jumped from TV favorite to full-on movie star. He voiced Emmet in ‘The Lego Movie’, a hit on its own, but ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ turned him into a household name overnight. He was Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, leading one of Marvel’s biggest franchises. He kept the momentum going with films like ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and took the lead as Owen Grady in ‘Jurassic World’ movies—‘Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom’ and ‘Jurassic World Dominion’—which slammed past a billion dollars at the box office and brought dinosaurs roaring back for a new generation.

But Pratt didn’t stop at Marvel and 'Jurassic World' movies. He took on westerns like ‘The Magnificent Seven’, sci-fi flicks like ‘Passengers’, and even started producing with ‘The Tomorrow War’. He also did voice work as Mario in ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’, which made over a billion bucks, ‘Garfield’, Pixar’s ‘Onward’, and more Lego craziness.

As for now, Pratt isn’t slowing down. In fact, he’s already lined up to voice Mario again in ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’, which is slated to come out in 2026.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”