Chris Pratt reveals his theory on how he became the 'Worst Hollywood Chris'

Jessica Wang
·2 min read

Chris Pratt has a theory about how he found himself at the bottom of the Hollywood Chris popularity contest.

In a new cover interview published Tuesday, the Jurassic World: Dominion star spoke with Men's Health about that "Worst Chris" controversy circa 2020, when the internet hailed him as the least likable Hollywood Chris among the collective (Evans, Hemsworth, and Pine).

Guessing at the origins of the "internet bile" directed towards him, the actor, who recently revealed he doesn't like to be called Chris anyway, said he thinks it all goes back to his Generation Award acceptance speech at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards. "God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you," he said in the speech. Reflecting on it now, Pratt told the outlet, "Maybe it was hubris for me to stand up on the stage and say the things that I said. I'm not sure I touched anybody."

He added that he can understand why the religious tenor of the speech might have turned people off, saying, "Religion has been oppressive as f--- for a long time. I didn't know that I would kind of become the face of religion when really I'm not a religious person."

Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images Chris Pratt

The Chris debacle prompted the Avengers to assemble to defend Pratt, with his Marvel costars Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, along with director James Gunn, vouching for his character on social media, calling him "as solid a man there is."

While Pratt said he tries not to "get caught complaining or anything" given his success, he admitted the online negativity can be hurtful. For example, he addressed another wave of criticism he received last November, when he was widely mocked after sharing an Instagram homage to his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger. In the post, he thanked Schwarzenegger for giving him "an amazing life," including a "gorgeous healthy daughter," which some interpreted as a dig at his ex-wife Anna Faris and their son Jack, 9, who was born prematurely and experienced health issues as a result.

Pratt told Men's Health that the blowback "really f---ing bothered" him and even brought the actor to tears. "A bunch of articles came out and said, 'That's so cringeworthy.' I can't believe Chris Pratt would thank her for a healthy daughter when his first child was born premature. That's such a dig at his ex-wife,'" he said, calling the response "f---ed up."

"My son's gonna read that one day," Pratt added. "He's 9. And it's etched in digital stone. It really f---ing bothered me, dude. I cried about it. I was like, 'I hate that these blessings in my life are — to the people close to me — a real burden.'"

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