Chris Pratt reveals why he refuses photos with fans in magazine cover story

Chris Pratt & James Gunn on Cover of Cigar Aficionado’s June 2017 Issue (Photo: Courtesy "Cigar Aficionado")

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Actor Chris Pratt and director James Gunn are at it again. The dynamic duo joined forces to film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, due May 5, not just as collaborators—but as friends. They recently sat down with Cigar Aficionado to discuss the film, their chemistry and careers, Pratt’s diva tendency, and the struggles that come with fame.

The June cover story of Cigar Aficionado hits newsstands May 2. Select quotes include:

On why he refuses photos with fans: 
Pratt: “I’ve always been a pretty deferential, go-with-the-flow guy. But now I have to be economical with my time. If I go out and want to do normal things, I have to be comfortable disappointing people. So I just don’t take pictures with people. Because that’s not about enjoying the moment; it’s about stealing the moment to brag about later. So I say, ‘Would you settle for a handshake?’ And then they take the picture anyway.”

On what he misses about life before fame: 
Pratt: “It’s tough sometimes, the amount of management you need to do on things you used to do spontaneously. What I really miss is sitting down and talking to strangers who don’t know me, so we can discover each other. I’d say the majority of people I meet have an idea about me before they meet me. There’s something nice to being able to surprise somebody.” 
Gunn: “I miss being able to go out to dinner with you. Do you remember that dinner in Atlanta [where they shot Vol. 2] where a woman came and sat down at our table? Neither of us knew her and we were having a conversation, but she just started having a conversation with you.”

On Pratt being a diva on set: 
Pratt: “The Brits are so polite. There I am, smoking these little cigars on the set and it is, in fact, illegal. But they were so reluctant to finally say, ‘I’m very sorry, but I’m afraid it’s against the law.’ And I said, ‘No, no, that’s cool—just tell me when the cops come.’ Hey, I show up on time, I know my stuff. It’s like, my one diva thing.”
Gunn: “I’ve worked with diva actors. He’s no diva.”

On why he’ll keep off the weight he lost for Zero Dark Thirty:
Pratt: “I’ve learned not to overestimate how deep the audience is—that, as an actor, a big part of it is looking as good as you can.”

On a memorable encounter with Barbra Streisand and Jim Carrey: 
Pratt: “There was this moment when I was at a party and Barbra Streisand and Jim Carrey both came up to me to tell me they loved what I’d done. Streisand asked me, ‘How does it feel? You’re this year’s big thing.’ Jim Carey told me the same thing. That was when those people stopped being my icons and became my peers.”

On Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2:
Gunn: “I want it to be deeper and more emotional. We want to give people what they liked about the first one—and something more. The second film has to fulfill the promise of the first. You have to continue to give people the unexpected, to take them to new worlds they haven’t imagined.” 
Pratt: “It’s that sweet spot where you give people what they want but not what they’re expecting. Comedy, emotion and action form this triangle. And it’s about bringing it to an even better level.”

On the positives of fame, and giving back: 
Pratt: “What’s really fulfilling is if I go to a Ronald McDonald House and spend some time there. I can give a kid 15 minutes when he’s not thinking about the fact that he’s terminally ill, or take a sibling aside and spend a few minutes with them and give them a bit of distraction from what’s going on in their family. Those are hard things to deal with. I walk out after and I feel great. To me, that’s what feels good about the fame and success. The rest of it feels just north of exciting.”

On dreams for the future…and fighting animals: 
Pratt: “I want to do a comedy. I want to flex my muscles as a collaborator, so that I have more creative control. I want to catch a world-record large-mouth bass—a 25 pounder. I’d love it if my son became a professional bass fisherman and I was his sponsor and we could go fishing together everyday. That would be awesome. Oh, and I’d like to fight an animal in self-defense.”
Gunn: “I think an ostrich-human battle might be good. And a badger would make a good match.”

Pratt: “A badger would definitely kill you.”
Gunn: “You can’t just go waltzing into the ring against a badger. You’ve got to do your research.”

Chris Pratt recently sat down with Cigar Aficionado to talk about how he’s a diva, why he refuses photos with fans, his weight loss and more. He and Guardians 2 director James Gunn are both on the magazine cover! (Photo: Courtesy "Cigar Aficionado")