When it comes to the ever-expanding magical land of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s almost mandatory to mention its golden trio of Chrises — Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and of course, the amazing Chris Pratt, who first brought the adorably goofy yet impressively heroic Star-Lord to life in Guardians of the Galaxy. While he is regarded as a shining example of perhaps the best Chris out there — no offense to Evans and Hemsworth — the actor is curiously not a big fan of his popular first name.
It does seemingly hint that his real name is widely different from the one we have known the star as since his days as Andy Dwyer on the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation, right up to his recent starring role as Owen Grady in Jurassic World Dominion. That’s not the case, however, as the confusion has been triggered by Pratt’s recent admission that being called Chris “feels weird.”
Chris Pratt detests his name
The answer is yes for those wondering whether Chris Pratt is actually the Thor: Love and Thunder star’s real name. His legal name is Christopher Michael Pratt and it’s obvious that all he did was shorten it before making his foray into Hollywood. It’s only obvious to expect a celebrity, especially someone as renowned as the Marvel star, to identify with his name, but the fact remains that Pratt doesn’t like being called “Chris.”
In a recent interview with SiriusXM’s Pop Culture Spotlight With Jessica Shaw, the 43-year-old actor shared with the host that when it comes to people who are close to him, no one calls him Chris, instead referring to him using other nicknames. Similarly, if someone tries to stick to his professional moniker, Pratt is quick to put a stop to it.
“Yep. Pratt. CP. You know, CP. ‘Hey, CP.’ But no one calls me Chris. I went golfing with my friend, Chad, my pastor the other day and he was like, ‘No one calls you Chris? I’m gonna call you Chris. Alright, Chris. You’re up.’ And I was like, ‘No, it feels weird. It’s not my name. Don’t call me Chris.'”
It seems like Chris Pratt ⏤ oops, we mean CP ⏤ has joined the likes of Anne Hathaway, Nicki Minaj, Kid Rock, all of whom have similarly expressed their intense dislikes for their stage names. But in the world of show business, a name is something that sticks and becomes a person’s identity no matter what their real name is or whether they would have preferred a different one.
But nothing is stopping Pratt from following in the footsteps of Thandiwe Newton, who back in 2021 boldly called out the fact that her name had been incorrectly spelt for the last 30 years, but now she is “taking back what’s mine.” Being one of the most sought-out actors in Hollywood, it doesn’t seem like it will be too difficult for Pratt to get the industry and his ardent fans aboard the “CP” ship.
After all, we still have three more wonders in the exclusive Chris land in Hollywood — Evans, Hemsworth, and while he has yet to join the MCU, Chris Pine — and so far, neither of them have expressed any issues with being a Chris. Yet, anyway.
