Chris Pratt Improvised Dropping The Orb In Guardians Of The Galaxy
Creating a Hollywood movie is a long, arduous process full of working and reworking the script in order to satisfy all walks of life. There are endless notes from producers, executives, and anyone and everyone who feels like they need to put their stamp of approval on a developing movie. But perhaps one of the more satisfying parts of creating movie magic comes from improvisation.
Improvisation is often reserved for comedies, and there are plenty of these instances that have resulted in some of the most memorable moments in movie history. While many audiences think of improv as the process of coming up with new versions of lines while the camera is rolling, sometimes the improvisation happens during a table read, which helps shape the script a little bit more, enhancing what's already on the page. But there are dramatic moments that have been improvised too, such as Robert De Niro's famous "You talking' to me?" scene in "Taxi Driver" and Tommy Lee Jones' perfectly meme-able "I don't care!" from "The Fugitive." Spontaneity simply allows for some fine moments of creativity.
However, improvisation can be harder to pull off when you're working on a big blockbuster movie. Delivering an alternate line that ruins a take can take more time to reset. When expensive sets and props are involved, there's a lot of work to be done when improvisation happens on the fly. But in Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy," Chris Pratt was able to pull off an improvised physical gag, and for years, James Gunn thought it was a total accident.
Star-Lord, legendary klutz
In the original "Guardians of the Galaxy," Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord, the legendary outlaw) finds himself in the middle of MacGuffin mayhem. On the planet Morag, he's trying to retrieve a mysterious orb that he plans to sell to an unknown buyer through a business broker. But he's not the only one trying to get the orb. Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) is also after the orb, and he's sent henchmen after it, including the deadly Gamora (Zoe Saldana), whose father Thanos just so happens to be pulling Ronan's strings. It's clear the orb is important, which makes one of Chris Pratt's brilliant improv choices all the more hilarious.
Eventually, Star-Lord and Gamora, now accompanied by the vengeful Drax, the giant tree creature Groot, and a talking raccoon called Rocket, meet up with The Collector to sell the orb into his massive vault of collectibles and keep it out of the hands of Ronan and Thanos. As Star-Lord hands over the orb to The Collector for inspection, he flat-out drops it on the floor and scrambles to pick it up.
Not only was this moment improvised by Chris Pratt, but he did it unexpectedly and convinced James Gunn that it wasn't intentional.
'Better to ask forgiveness than permission'
During an at-home watch party that unfolded in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic early in 2020, director James Gunn and Chris Pratt took part in the virtual event and live-tweeted the movie with behind-the-scenes tidbits and details. In a tweet that has since been deleted for some reason (via ComicBook.com), Gunn explained:
"On the director's commentary I say [Chris Pratt] dropped the orb on accident because I thought he did. Just last year he told me he actually did it on purpose. I believe him about 90%."
Meanwhile, Pratt's response to this revelation hasn't been deleted on Twitter, and the actor doubled down on the moment, saying, "Hundred percent intentional. Better to ask forgiveness than permission. I learned that doing 'Parks and Rec.' I smashed everything on that set."
If you've ever seen an episode of "Parks and Recreation," you know that Chris Pratt offered up a lot of physical comedy thanks to his lovable idiocy as Pawnee, Indiana resident Andy Dwyer. He's smashed computers, cleared entire desks with a leap of his body, and thrown himself into various walls, vehicles, and other structures. And now I'm wondering just how many of those physical gags were improvised on the spot. The prop masters and set builders may not have always been pleased with Pratt's improvised destruction, but I'm sure audiences will remain eternally grateful.