James Gunn and Chris Pratt share how improvisation enhances ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

As James Gunn and Chris Pratt reflect on the upcoming release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, they reveal that the franchise’s irreverent humor is the delightful outgrowth of a vibrant culture of improvisation among the cast. 

In an interview with Screenrant, Pratt explained that while Gunn is a highly organized filmmaker, he still creates space for actors to freestyle on set:

“In this film, there was a little bit of room for a bit of these comedic jazz solos and to find something on the day and maybe relax into the creative aspect.”

Improvisation produced the hilarious scene in the new trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which shows an amorous Peter Quill (Pratt) flirting with an appalled Nebula (Karen Gillan) by complimenting her anthracite eyes.

Gunn says he began encouraging the cast to use improvisation techniques in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. He chalks it up to his rapport with Pratt, as he recalls that it first came up during a discussion about Footloose, the movie that put acting legend Kevin Bacon on the map.

“In the first movie, there’s a scene where Chris talks about Kevin Bacon, and Chris and I found this gift that we have. We kind of one-up one another and make a scene better. We were talking about whatever, and I think I brought up ‘The Great Legend of Footloose,’ and you brought up ‘And The Great Hero Kevin Bacon.’ And then it became the sticks up their butts after that. Now, we didn’t do that on set. We did that in my office in Shepperton, UK.”

The distinctive humor of the Guardian of the Galaxy franchise is exquisitely organic. It is born of the playful interaction between the talented actors as they reflect their insights into their characters, adding an endearing element of soul to the films. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the final film in the trilogy and marks the end of Gunn’s MCU journey as he embarks on a new career as the co-CEO of DC Studios. But don’t fret, as many of the beloved characters will appear in other Marvel movies, including two upcoming installments of Avengers.