Chris Pratt has built a career on playing heroes — from the lovable goofball Andy Dwyer on “Parks and Recreation” to Marvel’s Star-Lord, he’s won over audiences with his humor and charm. But his greatest mission, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star told The Christian Post, is far bigger than Hollywood.
“I care enough about Jesus to take a stand, even if it cost me. It could cost me everything, but I don’t care. It’s worth it to me because this is what I’m called to do, it’s where my heart is,” the 45-year-old actor said.
“I’m a father of four. I want to raise my children with an understanding that their dad was unashamed of his faith in Jesus, and with a profound understanding of the power of prayer, and the grace and the love and the joy that can come from a relationship with Jesus. … You don’t hear that a lot from people in entertainment, but it’s who I am. I’m not going to hide behind it. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”
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For Pratt, who married Katherine Schwarzenegger in 2019 after meeting at church, faith is rooted in personal experience, moments of desperation and seeing God’s divine intervention firsthand.
The actor shared that while he never doubted God’s existence, like many Christians, he wrestled with doubt, struggled with commitment and found himself falling into old habits throughout his early years.
“The first time I walked up to the church altar and got on my knees and cried, I was a child,” he shared. “The next time I did it, I was still a child, I was 19. And then the next time I did it, I was in my 30s. … I’d make promises, but I didn’t keep them. I said, ‘God, save me in this moment, and I’ll give you my life.’ And then He did, and I was unburdened from the weight of my shame, my guilt and my sin. And then months later, maybe a year later, two years later, I’m off doing the same stuff that got me down the wrong path in the first place. The sinful, broken nature of humans was living in my heart.”
The true turning point in his faith, the “Electric State” star said, came in 2012, when his son, Jack, arrived seven weeks premature and weighed only 3 pounds, 10 ounces at birth. After his parents were “briefly” able to hold him, Jack was moved to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for a month.
“He had all of these issues going on,” Pratt recalled. “I prayed hard to God. I was in a season of transition spiritually at that time, and didn’t quite fully understand. I made a deal with God again: ‘I’m sorry, God, here I am again, asking for your grace again.’ And He really saved my son, and that was the moment [my faith] was cemented. My heart softened, and my faith hardened, That was the moment that I was like, ‘Moving forward, I’m going to give my platform to God.’”
Since then, Pratt, who counts Churchhome leader Judah Smith as a friend and mentor, has used his platform to openly discuss his beliefs — though he’s the first to admit he “hasn’t always been perfect.”
“This platform was given to me for a reason,” he asserted. “I want to affirm the people who are believers in Christ. I want them to hear me and say, ‘Wow, that’s cool. He’s willing to say it. I’m going to stand up at work today and say it.’ But I also want to reach out to the people who have no idea who God is. … I want to be a light to people who’ve never seen light. I want to be a light to people who have seen light but turned away from it or been afraid of it.”
Pratt’s journey through faith took a major leap forward when, a few years ago, he discovered the “Bible in a Year” podcast on the Hallow app, a Catholic prayer and meditation platform, which begins in Genesis and concludes in Revelation.
An auditory learner, Pratt said he found that listening to Scripture transformed the way he engaged with God’s Word. “You get to books like Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and my brain starts wandering four seconds in,” he shared. “But when I hear it, it’s different for me.”
“I did the whole thing,” he added. “It gave me a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the Bible. It totally strengthened my walk with Jesus. It was amazing.”
For Lent, Pratt has joined forces with Jonathan Roumie and Mark Wahlberg to encourage believers to deepen their spiritual lives. This year, Hallow brought back its Pray40 challenge that encourages users to set aside time each day to spend with God by offering Scripture reflection, opportunities to hear encouraging stories, guided prayer music and meditation.
“I thought, if I partner with Hallow, maybe I can amplify what is ultimately a really beautiful thing. This ‘Bible in a Year’ podcast, the prayers, meditations, it’s all soul food,” Pratt said.
The actor also revealed he’s a big fan of “The Chosen,” the hit series about the life of Jesus, which he watches with his son.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “Jonathan Roumie is amazing. The acting, the set design, the production value — it’s really leveled up Christian entertainment.”
“I’m not fully caught up,” he quipped. “But I know how it ends. I read the book. Or rather, I had the book read to me.”
According to Pratt, part of his motivation for getting involved in media that uplifts and inspires is his concern with the cultural landscape his children will navigate. Technology, he said, is both a problem and a solution.
“I want to teach my kids to be in the world, not of it,” he shared. “We’re in a strange time. We have an entire generation being raised to be incredibly anxious. Higher rates of self-harm, more isolation, depression, it’s alarming.”
“Phones aren’t going anywhere,” he added. “So it’s important to put some good stuff on them. That’s why I partnered with Hallow.”
With increased visibility comes criticism, from both secular audiences who might see Pratt’s faith as an anomaly in Hollywood and Christians who question his choices.
Pratt said that when faced with criticism, his response is grounded in Proverbs 26:20. “For lack of wood, the fire will go out. Where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases,” he recited. “I always rely on that.”
He refuses, he stressed, to be drawn into digital debates. “I’ve never had someone walk up to me and say, ‘Hey, Chris, I want to have a conversation about your belief that offends me,’” he says. “It’s all just noise online. It’s easy to post something, even though it’s a fart in the wind, it just disappears from these people’s phones. It’s etched in digital stone. But we have to be really careful with our words. It says in the Gospel that the tongue is like the most dangerous weapon, and just because you’re putting it in your phone doesn’t mean you’re not speaking it.”
When faced with criticism, the actor said his approach is to pray for his critics and move forward.
“When I hear words or see words, when there’s blowback — and I’m sure there’s going to be blowback from this — I am just going to rely on God. … I was called by God to do it, and if people don’t understand me, I’m going to pray for them, and then I’m going to go back and hang out with my kids and play tag.”
The actor knows firsthand that being a Christian in Hollywood isn’t an easy calling — but he’s up for the challenge: “God, softens some of their hearts, He hardens some of their hearts. It’s my job to be a light and to focus on what’s important to me right now, and what’s important to me is talking about Jesus.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
