Chris Pratt: Nobody would cast me in any well-written roles until I gained weight

Pratt on the red carpet for new film Jurassic World (Getty )

Weight gain can prove to be detrimental to a woman building a career in Hollywood, but the opposite was true for Chris Pratt.

The Passengers actor says he was initially disregarded for roles other than the vacuous, arrogant characters everyone loves to hate because of his toned physique, and it was only him putting on weight that saw casting agents consider him in a different light.

Pratt’s big break arrived in the form of Andy on NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, which he deliberately gained weight for. His weight yo-yoed between roles which demanded he either put on or lose substantial amounts, at one point eating 4,000 calories a day to prepare for Guardians of the Galaxy.

In a Reddit AMA, Pratt was asked how he thought his past as an overweight, comedic character influenced his growth as an actor, “especially now that you're considered one of the sexiest Hollywood stars?”

Pratt said this is “no vanity in comedy understanding the element of my job in where I am a prop”.

“I was confident and in good shape when I first came to LA but nobody would cast me in any well-written roles,” he said. “People assumed based on my looks I was an asshole and a one trick pony. I only auditioned to play the douchebag characters. My audition material would be like “Bradley, 24, you hate him immediately’. int. locker room. Bradley looks to our hero, squints his eyes, runs his hands through his thick gelled and frosted tipped hair and says, ‘F**k you p***y.’

"That would be my audition. ‘F**k you p***y.’ Welcome to the OC bitch.

“They never let me improv or do comedy. It wasn't until I built a shlubby exterior, which stood in stark contrast to my inner confidence that people gave me room to play."

He later added: “Funny guys can be sexy shirtless. But realness is more important. Exercising for health, overall physical and spiritual well-being I highly recommend. Doing it to look good naked is cool, but hardly worth the sacrifice. Work on being funny before sexy. Lots of women think funny is sexy anyway.”