“We were reading many actors and they were all incredible and all different versions of the character but I kept hearing Chris in my head” – Casting Director Sarah Finn
At a certain point of success, stars are usually cast in projects without having to regularly audition for the role. After an impressive resume of work, producers and directors often have a confident read on what an actor is capable of doing. Nonetheless, it’s sometimes in the best interests of a star to audition for a part even if they’d prefer not to do so. In fact, Sarah Finn, who has been the primary casting director for Marvel Studios’ films, shared a story at the Avengers: Endgame premiere on the purple carpet about a particular Guardians of the Galaxy star who initially wouldn’t audition for the film.
Of all the films, Finn points to one as the most challenging — particularly because a certain Star-Lord wouldn’t audition at first. She recalls, “They’re all challenging in their own ways, but I’d probably go with Guardians of the Galaxy. James Gunn has been very generous about this in saying that I, to the point of annoying him, kept insisting that Chris Pratt was the guy for the part, but Chris didn’t want to play the part and refused to audition.”
Finn kept the pressure on Pratt to audition for the role, which quickly became his. She continues:
“I finally got him to audition and James Gunn said he didn’t want to see him and that really was a challenge. I was really happy when I finally got them together and it was honestly one of those eureka moments that we talk about in casting when it absolutely feels right and you know it’s right. James turned to me within ten seconds and said ‘He’s the guy.'”
“We were reading many actors and they were all incredible and all different versions of the character but I kept hearing Chris in my head, so it was great when he decided he was interested and now, it’s a legend. He’s the perfect person.”
via ComicBook.com
