Five minutes with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. star Chris Pratt

Movie buffs will already know that the newest installment of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is almost upon us, meaning Chris Pratt and his band of mismatched heroes are returning to save the world once again. 

Reprieving his role as Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, Chris Pratt has brought his dynamic acting style and personality to a character that audiences around the world responded to with enthusiasm in the first film. Reflecting on the opportunity to bring Star-Lord to life again, Pratt says, 'What appealed to me the most about this character was the opportunity to add my own personal brand of humor into it. This was something that I knew I could do that was unique to me, and I had been dying for an opportunity to do that. I wanted to do something that was both comedic and physical. This role is a comfortable space to do that. What is so exciting to me is that I can just do the best version of my best stuff with Star-Lord.'

Offering an overview of where we find Peter Quill at the start of the second movie, Pratt says Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 picks up 'just a couple of months after the events of the first movie and we find Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, in the role he adopted at the end of the first movie, which is the guy who’s going to take care of this band of misfits and be the leader of this group of heroes. He’s taken a bit more of a leadership role and is just slightly more responsible at the beginning of this movie than he was at the beginning of the last movie.'

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Quill is on a quest to discover his true parentage, having never known his father. As Pratt explains, 'Quill is desperate to know who his dad is and dreamed his whole life that his dad was somebody special, somebody important, somebody cool. So when Quill finally meets his bigger-than-life father, who’s been searching for him, it fills this giant void that he’s had in his heart his whole life.'

Over the course of the film, Quill finds himself re-examining his relationship with Yondu. 'Of course, he’s always looked at Yondu, who abducted him, as being the guy who threatened to eat him or was hard on him,' Pratt says. 'But he learns through the course of this film that the relationship was more of a father/son dynamic than he could’ve ever expected to get from anyone else. I think it will hopefully make people step away from the movie and think who is that person in my life? Who am I taking for granted right now just because they’re not my mom or dad. Who’s the person who has invested so much of themselves into me? It makes you want to really grab them and hold onto them tightly.'

And what can audiences expect from the evolving relationship between Quill and Gamora? Pratt hints, 'There is chemistry there and an attraction and this second movie doesn’t ignore that. It picks up where it left off. We realize that there is something more going on between Quill and Gamora than any of the other Guardians know, or any of the audience has ever known.'

He adds, 'Gamora’s not the most vulnerable person and not super open to being vulnerable. So Quill is trying to get her to emote and to express her feelings. Through the course of this movie, that happens, and we get to see that relationship come together in an amazing way.'

The casting of Kurt Russell to play Quill’s long-lost father, Ego, was exciting for Pratt, who says, 'When I found out that Kurt Russell was playing Quill’s father, I was just thrilled. It was like sitting at the poker table with a great hand and then getting another ace dealt to you. It was just perfect casting and it couldn’t have worked out better. On top of the fact that he’s an exceptional actor, he’s also a really great guy.'

Pratt gives some insight on what audiences can expect from Drax (Dave Bautista) this time around:  'James Gunn has Drax’s comedic voice down perfectly, so he was able to really tailor the jokes to make himself laugh and make us all laugh on set, which is really how we make our jokes work. Dave handles this stuff really well too. He’s doing different nuanced takes on each comedic line and has grown so much and blown up so much. Yet still as Dave Bautista, he has remained the most genuine and humble guy by far on set. He’s an amazing guy and really a sensitive, thoughtful, appreciative, kind, down-to-earth dude. You'll see, he’s going to get a lot of laughs in this movie.'

Groot was a huge part of the first movie, and to have an extension of his life in the second film was important to the filmmakers. So, the sprout that audiences responded so profoundly to at the end of the movie, now makes his appearance as the growing tree, Baby Groot. 'People thought he was really adorable and cute,' says Pratt. 'And he is. He’s just like a cute little baby. It’s great because not only are we caring for this little guy but the stakes are really high because we have to keep him protected. I think people are going to like Baby Groot a lot. We’re all secretly expecting Baby Groot to steal the show.'

Music plays an important part in Guardians of the Galaxy films, Pratt explains: 'When I hear from fans about the first movie and the things that they love, right at the top of that list is the music,' comments Pratt. 'People just loved the Awesome Mix Volume 1. And, of course, Quill at the end of the first movie gets Awesome Mix Volume 2 from his mother, which is a harbinger of things to come. And we’ve got an exceptional playlist in Volume 2; some great songs.'

According to Pratt, 'The songs continue to do what they did in the first movie, which is to play a role narratively in telling the story. They’re not just thrown in randomly. Any time you hear a song in the movie, it’s playing on a tape player or on a tape deck. There’s a reason that song is playing in that moment. It’s not just accompanying. It’s very much a narrative tool that James Gunn uses to help tell the story.'

And having the music play on set is a boon for the actors. 'It’s really helpful to have the music ahead of time and to play the music during the scene,' Pratt explains. 'If we can’t play it during a scene sometimes, we’d have it in an earwig, which is like a small receiver inside of our ear so we could hear the music. It’s very helpful, especially since the movie is going to be cut to that music playing. It generally helps you have an understanding of the rhythm of the scene and puts you all on the same page rhythmically. I think it’s really important. I’ve started to incorporate music more and more into my performances.'

Summing up what he thinks audiences can expect when they see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Pratt says, 'What I’m really hoping for is that they’ll get exactly what they got in the first movie but in a completely different way. People want to have a profound, life-changing experience at the movies. And they will. But it’s not going to be what they expect. It’s going to be different.'

Oh - and did we mention you get to see Chris Pratt's rock-solid abs? Yesssss. 

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 is in cinemas April 25, 2017.

Photo credit: Collider