Chris Pratt Auditioned For Two Marvel Roles And A DC Superhero Before Landing Star-Lord

If you're ranking Chris Pratt's best movies what are the chances the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films aren't at the very top? Sure, he was in "Moneyball" and "Her," but if we're talking his best leading man roles, it's got to be writer/director James Gunn's trilogy. The role of Peter Quill/Star-Lord seemed as tailor-made for the former "Parks and Recreation" star as Tony Stark/Iron Man did for Robert Downey Jr. Star-Lord was also the role that made Pratt an A-lister and changed Hollywood for the better so far as Glen Powell is concerned, signaling the end of the brooding, tortured leading man era.

Pratt was unabashedly silly as the human-Celestial abductee turned intergalactic outlaw. His childlike charm was part of what made 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy" and its two follow-ups so watchable. With all that in mind, it's strange to think that he was ever in question for the role of Quill. Stranger still is the thought that he could have ended up playing other Marvel heroes or even the Man of Steel instead.

Yes, before he officially joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pratt auditioned for several superhero roles. In fact, there's apparently an alternate timeline out there where Pratt either played a sidekick to Chris Hemsworth's Thor or Captain America himself. He even tried out for a non-Marvel role when he auditioned for Superman, yet he struggled to even get a callback for any of these auditions.

According to James Gunn, Chris Pratt's "Guardians of the Galaxy" screen test was an absolute disaster. By that point, however, Marvel execs were surely used to the actor bombing his auditions.

During an appearance on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Pratt spoke about his multiple attempts to break into both the MCU and even the now-shuttered DC Extended Universe. "I think I put myself on for early Superman," he recalled. "I put myself on tape for Captain America. I auditioned to play a sidekick in 'Thor.'" Sadly (or fortunately, considering Pratt was destined to play Peter Quill), none of these tryouts were successful. "None of them did I even get a call back," added the actor, who was then urged by host Josh Horowitz to elaborate. "I got in the room to play the sidekick for Thor," replied Pratt, who has previously spoken about his failed "Thor" audition.

During an interview with Jimmy Kimmel back in 2023 (via Variety) the actor explained, "Usually they give you a little bit of feedback, and I remember the casting director goes, 'Wow. You really made a big choice there.' Which is code for like: 'Hey, dial back the acting there, guy.'" At the time, it wasn't just Marvel auditions with which Pratt struggled, as the "Guardians" star went on to reveal that he was having a rough time landing anything, to the point he almost gave up.

During his 2023 Jimmy Kimmel appearance, Chris Pratt revealed that he didn't just audition for Thor and Captain America; he also tried out for "anything that came out that needed a guy that even remotely looked like me," including the "Star Trek" and "Avatar" movies. The actor recalled sending in tapes only to be told "No, we don't need to see him" or going in for auditions and being told, "No, that's the last time we need to see you." At one point, he all but gave up on joining the MCU. "It got to the point where I was never gonna audition for Marvel again," Pratt continued. "I was like, 'This is stupid, I'm never gonna be in a Marvel movie.'"

That changed when he landed the lead in "Guardians of the Galaxy," which debuted a year after director Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel," the inaugural DCEU movie. This was likely the film Pratt tried out for, then, seeing as the previous Supes movie, "Superman Returns" was back in 2006 when Pratt was in a recurring role on "The O.C." Interestingly, though, he did end up voicing a character on the animated "The Batman" series in 2008.

When James Gunn started working on his charming crowd-pleaser "Superman," Pratt would surely have been in with a better shot, considering the director gave the DC hero a dorky guy makeover. At this point, however, he's well established in the superhero realm as Star-Lord — who, according to a title card at the end of 2023's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," "Will Return." Gunn might be done with the saga, then, but Pratt and Star-Lord look as though they're here to stay.