Avengers assemble to sweatily defend Chris Pratt after Twitter deems him the worst Chris
With the way Hollywood’s brightest stars rushed to coddle Chris Pratt last night, you’d think the actor had been accused of sexual harassment by a D-lister or something. Instead, all signs pointed to a Twitter poll started by an Alienist writer to determine the best and worst of film’s numerous Chrises. Out of a pool that consisted of Pratt, Chris Pine, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Evans, Pratt was by and large deemed the worst.
Browse the comments and you’ll see much of the vitriol directed toward the Jurassic World and Guardians Of The Galaxy star can be chalked up to his perceived political leanings and religious beliefs. Last year, Ellen Page called out Pratt for the “infamously anti lgbtq” church he attends. (“I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone,” Pratt said in response.) Also, a quick glance at who he follows on Instagram will reveal a number of right-wing and pro-Trump personalities and organizations, from Ben Shapiro and U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw to Turning Point USA, a group with an “instances of racism” section on their Wikipedia page longer than most Wikipedia pages. Pratt, however, has never been vocal about his political beliefs.
Pratt’s wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, was (sorta) the first to kick off the flood of defense in her husband’s name. While replying to a post about the Chris debate on Instagram—one that doesn’t even name Pratt in its initial post—she wrote, “Being mean is so yesterday. There’s enough room to love all these guys. Love is what we all need not meanness and bullying. Let’s try that.”
Soon, several of his MCU co-stars trotted over to Twitter and Instagram, where they poured the praise on Pratt while also defending his decision to not join in on Tuesday night’s Avengers fundraiser in support of the Biden campaign. “He is just not overtly political as a rule,” Mark Ruffalo wrote in a tweet that called Pratt “as solid a man there is.”
Downey Jr., meanwhile, praised the actor as a “real #Christian who lives by #principle” while also attacking the “sinless” who would dare critique him, prompting Jeremy Renner to post a flexing bicep emoji in the replies. Zoe Saldana quoted Tupac before adding, “Your family, friends, colleagues & everyone who’s ever crossed paths with you knows your heart and your worth!” (She also believes Hollywood bullied Donald Trump, but we digress.)
Guardians Of The Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn and the Russo Brothers, the guys behind a number of Marvel movies, also leaped to Pratt’s defense. “Please stop assuming what he believes, politically or in any other way, because he’s a Christian,” Gunn said, sort of missing the point that it’s not Pratt’s religious beliefs people are criticizing, but rather the company he keeps online and offline.
But, hey, it’s nice to have friends and colleagues that will back you up when you lose a Twitter poll. The only problem, as many people online pointed out, is that the MCU cast remained silent when Brie Larson, Anthony Mackie, and other cast members faced months of misogynistic and racist harassment.
Pratt himself has yet to respond.
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