Chris Pratt’s character in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise has plenty of daddy issues — but in real life, the actor has been dealing with the recent death of his own father, and he says reprising the role of Peter Quill/Star-Lord helped him cope with the loss.
“The truth is I ripped open some wounds that had been healing for some time,” Pratt told British GQ. “And I didn’t want to. But I knew it was right for the moment … There are wounds that are never going to be totally healed.
“It would probably make for a better story if it was some emotional thing that I hadn’t dealt with,” he continued. “When we face the death of a parent, you sometimes feel regret that you didn’t fully embrace what you had.”
The 37-year-old actor lost his father, Dan Pratt — a former Alaska gold miner turned contractor — to multiple sclerosis at age 60 in 2014 while Chris was filming “Jurassic World.” He took a week off filming to be by his dad’s side at the end, according to GQ.
Pratt is now a father to his own four-year-old son, Jack, with actress Anna Faris.
Meanwhile, Star-Lord’s dad is a world away from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star’s real father. Kurt Russell plays the mysterious parent, who is actually a sentient planet called Ego.
Yeah, we can see how that could create some family difficulties …
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is set to premiere on May 5, 2017. Watch the trailer below.