MCU: 10 Fascinating Facts Behind Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

4. There Could've Been A Very Different Star-Lord

Guardians Of The Galaxy Star Lord
Marvel Studios

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Chris Pratt in the role of Star-Lord, with the Parks & Rec actor so perfectly capturing that mix of cockiness and goofiness that makes the character such a charming a-hole. However, he wasn't the only one in the running for the part, and it seems like half of Hollywood auditioned for the role.

It was reported at the time that the initial shortlist of actors Marvel signed test deals with were Joel Edgerton, Jim Sturgess, Jack Huston, Lee Pace, and Eddie Redmayne, while other names reportedly interesting the studio were Garrett Hedlund, James Marsden, and Sullivan Stapleton. It's also been reported that Zachary Levi, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Rosenbaum, and John Gallagher Jr all auditioned for the role too.

Pratt wasn't someone that Gunn was initially keen on seeing, and yet the director knew 30 seconds into his audition that he was the perfect man for the role, with the actor then losing 60lbs for the part.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.