Will the Real Chris Pratt Please Stand Up?

In case you missed it, the internet decided a couple of years ago that it doesn’t like actor Chris Pratt.

The Battle of the Chris meme was released with the directive “one of them has to go” alongside the pictures of four actors named Chris: Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Pine.

The internet had a lot of thoughts on this one…

And the internet (or twitter) seemed to agree that of the four Chrises, Chris Pratt was the worst.

But, luckily for Pratt, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had his back. 

The Avengers assembled with Robert Downey Jr. calling Pratt “a real #Christian who lives by #principle” and Mark Ruffalo tweeting that Pratt was “as solid a man there is.”

It’s always good to have the Hulk in your corner…

Pratt’s Guardians of the Galaxy co-star Zoe Saldana had his back, too, tweeting, “Your family, friends, colleagues & everyone who’s ever crossed paths with you knows your heart and your worth!”

So why the hate toward Chris Pratt?

Well, some of it may have started with the way Pratt spoke about God and religion.

After Pratt spoke about religion and his diet inspired by his pastor with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show in 2019, actor Elliot Page came after him saying the church he is associated with was anti-LGBT, a claim Pratt publicly denied.

And Pratt was still on the wrong side of the internet in 2021 when he shared a gushy post about his second wife, Katherine (who is the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver).

I sure hope Katherine got something better than this post for her birthday…

One may have rolled their eyes seeing Pratt compare his wife to a baseball card, but he unleashed the wrath of the internet when he said his wife had given him “a gorgeous healthy daughter.” 

Some readers took his comments as a dig at his first wife (actor Anna Faris) and their son, who was born prematurely with health problems. 

I don’t believe that Pratt was intending to hurt his son or his ex-wife with that post – but given his standing with the twitterverse, he was (and probably still is) in time out, and needs to choose his words carefully. 

Very carefully.

Which is why I’m wondering who advised him to do an interview and photo spread in the latest issue of Men’s Health.

The magazine declares Pratt “the People’s Chris” and seems desperate to reinforce that label with a photo spread that shows Pratt looking effortlessly suave as he poses casually washing a car, drinking beer, throwing cheese balls, and of course, manning the grill. 

Those sponges look fresh out of the package (Photo: Peggy Sirota, Men’s Health)

It’s the ‘I’m trying hard to look like I don’t care about my appearance, but obviously I care a lot’ look. 

And what does the “People’s Chris” wear to grill?

The People’s Chris hitting the grill (Photo Credit: Peggy Sirota, Men’s Health)

Why, high-end sweatpants paired with $400 leather flip flops.

[Ed. – I think “the people” wear the $30 flip flops Adidas makes.]

Wear these to wash your car - you won’t mind when they get wet

But perhaps the most surprising messages of the article were Pratt’s comments about religion.

The guy who previously thanked God at the MTV Awards and the Teen Choice Awards – and has openly talked about the Bible and church for years – wants you to know that he’s “not a religious person.”

He also says that, contrary to reports, he was never a member of the controversial Hillsong Church.

When asked why he didn’t say that years ago, he responded:

“I’m gonna, like, throw a church under the bus?” 

Huh?

It wouldn’t have been that hard to issue a statement that said, “I’m not a member of Hillsong” when he was being criticized for his association with it. 

So why say it now?

It feels like a publicist is reading the Roe v Wade energy in the room and telling Pratt it’s not a good time to be associated with religion – not with a new movie out and several more in the pipeline.

So now Pratt is downplaying the messages that he was eagerly sharing before, and working overtime to remind us that he’s the “all-around good hang” we envisioned him to be when he played schlubby everyman Andy Dwyer on TV’s Parks and Recreation.

Even for Hollywood, this interview felt manufactured and artificial.

Believing in God (or ‘being religious’) is not a career ender in the entertainment industry. 

Listen to award acceptance speeches – for music, film, TV, sports – and you’ll hear plenty of people thanking God.

Matthew McConaughey gave a memorable speech when he accepted his Best Actor Oscar

Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Mark Wahlberg, Denzel Washington, The Rock, the Brothers Jonas, Chance the Rapper, Tyler Perry, Justin Bieber, Matthew McConaughey – they’ve all talked about God and religion. 

Pratt’s religious views are his business – and he can choose to share what he wants.

But the timing and messages in this interview feel suspect at best – and manipulative at worst. 

Pratt says part of him is “struggling with who I am maybe not being who I was.”

I don’t know who the real Chris Pratt is – but I hope he worries less about how the public may view him, and has the courage to be who he really is.

Even if that’s a guy who washes a car in $400 flip flops.

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Beth Collier loves writing, pop culture, and her $30 flip flops.

She also loves helping companies, leaders, and teams improve their communication (and creativity and leadership) through consulting, coaching, and workshops.

Her clients benefit from Beth’s global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm – and an endless supply of pop culture references.

To find out how Beth can help you become a more confident, creative, and compelling leader – or improve communication in your company – visit www.beth-collier.com or drop her a line at beth@beth-collier.com