Chris Pratt Improvised This Funny Nebula Moment In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (Other Than The F-Bomb)
A lot has already been said about Chris Pratt's historic use of the F-word in James Gunn's cosmic trilogy capper "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." For the last decade or so, Pratt and his co-stars have been trying to get just one cuss word to make it into the final cut of the Marvel movies they've been a part of, and finally, the dream has been realized. As the only earthling, Peter Quill was perfectly suited to belt out our planet's favorite expletive, especially during a sequence that takes place on the High Evolutionary's experimental Counter-Earth. Out of any major MCU character, Star-Lord was the obvious choice to drop an F-bomb, save for maybe Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) who came oh so close to saying "Motherf******" when he gets dusted during the post-credit scene in "Avengers: Infinity War."
Usually, Star-Lord's funniest moments happen when he's verbally sparring with the humorless Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) who plays the Kylosian straight man that takes everything way too literally. In a fresh change of pace, some of the most memorable laughs in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" come at the expense of Nebula (Karen Gillan) when she either gets frustrated by not being able to open a car door or becomes enraged when Quill unexpectedly starts to flirt with her. When Pratt improvised the line "Open the f****** door!" to Nebula, Gillan admitted that she didn't actually even hear him say it. But she was front and center for another off-the-cuff line that wound up being one of the standout moments in the "Vol.3" trailer.
Tragedy plus time equals comedy
At the hands of her adopted father Thanos, Nebula was torn apart, dismantled and put back together again to become a rage-fueled cyborg. So, needless to say, she has some pretty serious Daddy issues that Star-Lord is well aware of. Gillan even recently told the hosts of The View that she even attended some therapy sessions in full Nebula makeup, though I don't think she stayed in character. Her entire childhood under Thanos' rule is a definite sore spot, and Star-Lord should probably know that the best way to flirt with Nebula is to not bring up her past. Ever.
But he makes the bone-headed mistake of complimenting her eyes during a quiet moment inside the gross interior of the Orgoscope, proving that it's almost impossible to get past Nebula's tough exterior. The moment was completely improvised according to Pratt, telling BBC Radio 1:
"One of the lines when we were improving about, that we improved in a fun run, was Karen's eyes. I turned to her and I said, 'You have ... I just never noticed how black they were.' It's usually me improvising and then James improvising behind the monitor what the other character said, so he came up with what Nebula said which was, 'They were the result of my father torturing me,' and I was like, and then I improved, 'Well, he picked a very pretty set.' And it made it in the trailer."
Of course, Nebula's tragic past becomes a punchline for Star-Lord who proves once again that he's barely cut out to lead the Guardians or ever be taken too seriously as an actual responsible adult.
Marvel's improv olympics
Over the years, the MCU has learned to embrace the quick bursts of inspiration from their actors that can sometimes lead to classic moments in the franchise. Robert Downey Jr. is incredibly well-known for his improvisations on set, having uttered the now-famous words "I am Iron Man" at the very end of director Jon Favreau's 2008 "Iron Man," the film that set the entire Marvel machine in motion. The Russo Brothers also trusted Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen to improv some of their lines in one of the most dramatic moments in "Avengers: Infinity War." Earlier on in "Infinity War," Dave Bautista may have the funniest line of the film when he tries to one-up Tony Stark by asking the ridiculous question "Why is Gamora?" According to screenwriter Christopher Markus, that was all Bautista.
Pratt's improv skills and quick wit, however, might be best suited to his role as Star-Lord and the wacky, unpredictable world that James Gunn has helped build over the course of three installments in the "Guardians" uniquely peculiar cosmic universe. Pratt honed his improv chops as Andy Dwyer in "Parks and Recreation" and finally got the chance to go a little wild in "Vol.3," with Gunn's permission of course. Although the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" stuck to Gunn's original script almost entirely, "Vol. 3" granted a little more leeway and opportunity for moments like Star-Lord's ill-advised longing stare at Nebula. Speaking with Screen Rant, Gunn talked about being more open to going off-book. "I think that I just am more willing to take the time if I see something new. If I find the magic, go ahead and do it."