A Heroic Reason to Steal a Jacket

On July 21, 2014, actor Chris Pratt — previously best known for his supporting role as slacker Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation — entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a lead. Pratt, in the role of Peter Quill, a/k/a Star-Lord (seen above), became the de facto leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. As that character, he has helped save the galaxy from Ronan the Accuser, Ego, The High Evolutionary, and of course, Thanos. But Star-Lord wasn’t always a good guy — in fact, his story arc begins as a thief, with him stealing a cosmic artifact, and he pulls off other such stunts even during his heroic period. Star-Lord blurred the lines between savior and rogue.

And in a way, so did Chris Pratt. He stole something — but it turned out, he did it for great reasons.

As filming of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie wrapped, the production crew did what production crews usually do: they take all the stuff used to make the movie and either store it somewhere or throw it out. Costumes, particularly those that may be used for a future film with the same characters, are certain to be kept somewhere safe. Pratt’s Star-Lord costume centered on an iconic jacket, as seen above, and the crew intended to store that until the next time the Guardians appeared on screen. But Pratt had other plans. In an interview promoting the film, Pratt confessed to German outlet Panzer TV that he stole Star-Lord’s soon-to-be iconic coat — and for great reasons:

I stole the jacket and some of the wardrobe so that, if this movie comes out and does what everyone hopes it can, I can follow the example of someone — say, like, a Russell Wilson, you know — and go visit kids. [Wilson, at the time, was the quarterback for Pratt’s favorite football team, the Seattle Seahawks.]

If it was a big enough movie, to where it would mean something to a kid who’s sick in the hospital for Peter Quill or Star-Lord to come visit them, I’ll do that. I think that’s awesome, man. That would give me real meaning for this movie, you know?

[ . . . ]

The coolest thing would be that my son can one day see this and that maybe I can go affect some kids in a positive way — be a good role model for them.

Pratt was able to do exactly that. Shortly after the film debuted, he hosted a screening at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for kids who were too sick to go to the theater to see Guardians with everyone else. As E! News reported, “while the movie played, Pratt snuck out and dressed up as his character, Star-Lord.” He then returned to hang out with the kids for the next three hours, handing out toys and visiting those kids who were too sick to even go to the special screening.

Sometimes the galaxy doesn’t need saving — just a few minutes of Star-Lord showing up for the kids who dream about heroes.

Bonus fact: As noted above, Pratt is a fan of the Seattle Seahawks. His fellow Chris and MCU actor, Chris Evans, is a fan of the New England Patriots. When their two teams met in the Super Bowl the year after Guardians came out, the two made a bet on the game’s outcome: the loser would make a hospital visit to the hospital of the winner’s choice. In the end, kids won on both coasts. The Patriots won the Super Bowl, so Pratt — wearing the Star-Lord jacket — made a visit to Christopher’s Haven, a home for kids with cancer in Boston — and Evans came along as well. In an effort to bring joy regardless, Evans returned the favor in Pratt’s home turf a few weeks later, visiting Seattle Children’s Hospital dressed as Captain America. The pair also ran a fundraiser concurrently, raising more than $25,000 to support the two institutions.

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