Chris Pratt and Anna Faris looked like the perfect Hollywood couple. Young, talented, attractive, and rich, they seemed like they had it made. So, when the couple called time on their marriage, it left fans with questions as well as broken hearts. Were the rumors of an affair true? Well, Faris finally spilled the beans on the split. And what she said revealed a whole new side to her relationship with the Guardians of the Galaxy star.
Love on and off screen
Judging by Faris’ words, the separation had hurt her. And by then, the romance of the early days may have seemed a very long time ago. She and Pratt had first met when they both went to read for the comedy movie Take Me Home Tonight. Adorably, the on-screen lovers ended up becoming a real-life couple.
Whirlwind marriage
But perhaps Pratt and Faris married too quickly. After dating for a few months, they swiftly got engaged. Then, during a stay in Bali in July 2019, the pair noticed on a menu that the hotel did weddings. So, they got hitched right then and there! It was a moment that Faris seemed to reference when she opened up about the split.
New arrival
After that, the two actors added a supporting boy to their cast. Yep, in August 2012, they welcomed their son, Jack, into the world. But the joy surrounding their new arrival was mixed with worry. Jack arrived prematurely, meaning he had to spend time in neonatal intensive care.
Heartbreaking words
Pratt talked movingly of this time at a charity event in 2014. Speaking about holding his son in intensive care, he told the audience, “I made promises in that moment about what kind of dad I wanted to be, and I just prayed that he’d live long enough that I could keep them.” That kind of stress and pain is hard on any parent — and any couple.
Sad news
Perhaps the strain of seeing their boy so frail put pressure on Pratt and Faris’ relationship. Whatever the cause of their marriage breakdown, though, the seemingly happy couple announced their separation in 2017. And fans may have combed through the joint statement they released to answer one question: why?
The statement
Shared on Pratt’s Facebook page, the message read, “Anna and I are sad to announce we are legally separating. We tried hard for a long time, and we’re really disappointed. Our son has two parents who love him very much, and for his sake we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward.” So far, very unrevealing…
Still love there
The statement rather sweetly went on to say, “We still have love for each other, will always cherish our time together, and continue to have the deepest respect for one another.” But while the Pratt-Faris split seemingly came out of nowhere, rumors have swirled about why they chose to break up…
Rising star
Maybe the relationship was put under strain after Pratt became a star? The former Parks and Recreation actor has become a hot commodity in Tinseltown after appearing in the major blockbusters Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. Then there’s another more risqué piece of gossip…
Another woman?
You see, in 2016 rumors circulated that Pratt was cheating on Faris with Jennifer Lawrence, his co-star in Passengers. But that was denied by Faris. She spoke out to Us Weekly and admitted that the accusations were hurtful.
It stung hard
While talking to the magazine, Faris admitted, “[The allegation] stung a little bit harder than I thought it would. I had always kind of believed that part of the rumors of celebrity couples were sort of true, because they had never been part of my life. I was like, ‘Oh, maybe there’s a kernel of truth to that.’”
“This has been blindsiding to us”
In another very open answer, Faris said, “It’s been a little devastating because for us, it’s like, ‘What the heck?’ This has been blindsiding to us. We have an incredible relationship. It has been weirdly stinging.” However, besides the joint statement, not much else was revealed about her and Pratt’s split — until Faris finally got real on air.
A lot of love
During an episode of her podcast Unqualified, the Scary Movie star showed gratitude to her fans for their support. She told them, “Hey, dear listeners, I just want to thank you all so much for all the love I’ve been receiving. And I truly love you.”
Finally telling the truth
This statement marked the first time Faris had spoken publicly since the sad joint announcement. However, she seemed to make a more revealing remark about the split when a caller asked for relationship advice.
Speaking from experience
Empathizing with the fan’s dilemma, Faris made a direct reference to her own experience. “I made that mistake, I think, a little bit, like feeling like I’m checking my relationship off the list,” she said. “And that would be the final piece of advice I could give you… know your worth, know your independence, know that you’re young and there are so many people out there.”
Words of wisdom
They were wise words from the seasoned performer, who seemed to be drawing on personal lessons learned. However, Faris still made sure to let the caller know that time is precious and that you shouldn’t be with someone just for the sake of it.
Secret reason?
Faris added to the caller, “Life is too short for you to be in relationships where you’re not feeling like this isn’t fully right, or somebody doesn’t have your back, or somebody doesn’t fully value you.” And who knows? Maybe Faris was secretly commenting on the reason for her own separation…
Keeping schtum
But what about Pratt? Fans may have been hoping he’d open up at the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles. At the 2017 ceremony, he scooped the Choice Movie Actor — Sci-Fi award. However, he made no mention of Faris in his acceptance speech.
Moving on
And both Pratt and Faris have since moved on and married other people. Perhaps that’s why the former couple dealt with the aftermath of their breakup in a relatively civilized manner — or maybe it’s because their child will connect the pair for the rest of their lives.
Speeding into love
You probably know that Pratt’s new wife is Katherine Schwarzenegger. The pair tied the knot barely a year into their relationship — and only months after Pratt had finalized his divorce from Faris. Then just ten months into married life, the Guardians of the Galaxy star and his new bride had yet another huge announcement to make — one that surprised fans of the loved-up couple, too.
Big news so soon
Yes, it’s fair to say that things moved fast between Pratt and Schwarzenegger. Mere months after their courtship began in the summer of 2018, the two announced their engagement. Then in early June 2019, the actor and his fiancée celebrated their wedding — a fairytale affair that took place in Montecito, California.
Starting from the bottom
By contrast, it took some time for Pratt to rise from humble beginnings to Hollywood super-stardom. After the future actor dropped out of college, he moved to Hawaii at 19. There, he lived in a van while he waited tables at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Maui. Yet, amazingly, this job actually led Pratt to his big break.
A lucky table
You see, the aspiring star just so happened to wait on Rae Dawn Chong — an actress and director who had appeared in the acclaimed film adaptation of The Color Purple. And in 2014 Pratt told Entertainment Weekly that he had not only recognized Chong, but that he had also explained to her that he had always wanted to make movies. He recalled, “[Chong] said, ‘You’re cute. Do you act?’ I was like, ‘I act! Put me in a movie!’”
A push in the right direction
So, Chong did just that, as fortuitously she had been casting for comedic horror flick Cursed Part 3 when she had crossed paths with Pratt. In turn, Pratt decided to leave Hawaii behind and move to Los Angeles. And while the actress ultimately never released the movie as she didn’t think it was any good, that leap of faith from Chong gave the future Parks and Recreation
Hollywood’s scraps
A move to LA didn’t guarantee instant success for Pratt, though. Indeed, he spent several years waiting tables in Hollywood — even though, as the actor admitted on a 2016 episode of The Graham Norton Show, he wasn’t very good at it. During that TV appearance, Pratt also admitted to the host, “I’d been busted so many times eating off people’s plates.”
Small roles
But all of Pratt’s hard work and money-saving tactics paid off in 2002, when he earned a place in the main cast of TV series Everwood. He also went on to land parts in The O.C. and 2011 movie Moneyball, which would receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
His signature role
At the time of Moneyball’s Oscars nod, Pratt was already becoming a household name while playing the goofy Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation. And the actor didn’t have to worry about making the transition from the small screen to the movies, either. Before Parks and Recreation ended in 2015, he had already landed a leading role in the major blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy.
Not a bad payoff
Since then, Pratt has gone on to star in a slew of other hugely successful movies. In 2018, for instance, he reprised his Jurassic World part in the film’s sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The actor reportedly received a $10 million paycheck for the follow-up after the first flick raked in $1.7 billion globally.