Chris Pratt revealed that he almost adopted a different name when he first launched his career.
The 46-year-old “Guardians of the Galaxy” star appeared on the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast on Thursday when host Josh Horowitz reminded him of the unusual stage name that he was seriously considering using professionally when he first moved to Los Angeles to become an actor.
“For those that don’t know, this man almost was ‘Christo’ way back when,” Horowitz said as Pratt nodded in agreement.
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“That’s right,” Pratt said.
“There was a hot minute,” Horowitz continued. “You almost rebranded before the career got going.”
“Just branded,” Pratt clarified. “Not even rebranded. Just branded. I was going to be Christo.”
Pratt recalled that the name originated from a nickname that he was given by his coworkers when he worked at the seafood chain restaurant Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
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“I had a name tag that said Christopher at Bubblegum Shrimp Co.,” Pratt remembered. “But the ‘PHER’ got rubbed off, so it said ‘Christo,’ and everyone called me Christo for a long time while I was working at Bubba Gump.”
“High turnover rate, the new employees thought my name was Christo,” he continued. “And as I navigated being discovered and brought to Los Angeles to follow my dreams, part of me thought in earnest maybe I go as just Christo.”
“That’s the part of you I like — that thought that,” Horowitz said as the two laughed.
“It’s never too late,” Pratt said with a smile.
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Pratt has previously shared that he was discovered by actress and director Rae Dawn Chong when he was 19 and waiting tables at a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Maui. Chong cast Pratt in the lead role as Jeff in her directorial debut, the 2000 horror-comedy short film “Cursed Part 3.” The part was Pratt’s first credited acting role and sparked his interest in moving to LA to pursue acting seriously.
Pratt, whose full name is Christopher Michael Pratt, became internationally famous as “Chris Pratt” and jokingly known among fans as one of the “Hollywood Chrises,” which also include actors Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans and Chris Pine.
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However, Pratt previously shared in a 2022 interview on SiriusXM’s “Pop Culture Spotlight With Jessica Shaw” that those closest to him do not call him Chris and admitted that he dislikes being referred to by that name.
“What do they call you? Pratt?” Shaw asked.
“Yep,” he said. “Pratt. CP. You know, CP. ‘Hey, CP.’ But no one calls me Chris. My friend, Chad. 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. All right, Chris. You’re up.’ And I was like, ‘No, it feels weird. It’s not my name. Don’t call me Chris.'”
