Chris Pratt Reveals The Secret Behind His ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Transformation

If you’re a longtime fan of Chris Pratt, you may have noticed that his buff physique in Guardians of the Galaxy is a far cry from his early days as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation. To play the role of interstellar thief turned action hero Peter Quill/Star-Lord, he dropped a total of 60 pounds in just six months.

Although Pratt briefly worked as a stripper after dropping out of college, he admits that he started putting on weight once he settled down with wife Anna Faris in 2009. He was earning a steady living playing what he describes as “schlubby sidekick characters” — but soon realized that he was losing out on choice roles because of his size. Watching the casting director’s eyes glaze over at auditions where he was 30 pounds overweight hurt his feelings, but gave him the motivation to take drastic action to revamp his public image.

Director James Gunn had to be persuaded to let Chris Pratt audition for Guardians of the Galaxy, but Pratt quickly won him over with his boyish charm and obvious enthusiasm for the role. To transform himself from the dorky Andy Dwyer to the smoking hot Star-Lord, Pratt reports that he relied on a four hour a day workout routine that included P90X, running, boxing, kickboxing, and swimming. He also redid his diet by boosting his calorie intake to 4,000 calories per day, drinking tons of water, cutting out junk food, and giving up beer entirely.

Pratt’s personal trainer throughout the process of getting ready to film Guardians of the Galaxy was Duffy Gaver. His nutritionist was Philip Goglia, author of Turn Up the Heat: Unlock the Fat Burning Power of Your Metabolism.

Chris Pratt is no stranger to gaining and losing weight for roles, but he jokes that gaining weight is the much easier option. Pratt packed on 60 pounds for his role as the lawyer Brett in the 2013 movie Delivery Man. What started out as sympathy weight from his wife’s pregnancy turned into an opportunity to eat anything and everything that seemed appealing — including two entrees, desert, and the darkest beer on the menu.

However, since he’ll reprise his role as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, it appears that we’ll be able to enjoy Chris Pratt’s fit physique a little while longer. He’s assured fans that he’s in “maintenance” mode now, despite reportedly celebrating the success of Guardians of the Galaxy‘s opening weekend with a big bowl of tater tots.

What do you think of Chris Pratt’s transformation? Is his new look making him leading man material after all?

Photo courtesy of Bustle.