EXCLUSIVE: Chris Pratt Chats Stunts, Family, And The Tomorrow War
Amazon Prime Video is set to release The Tomorrow War in a few short days, and we had the opportunity to chat with star of the film, Chris Pratt, about his upcoming sci-fi flick. Chris plays teacher, Dan Forester, drafted to fight a war thirty years in the future.
On the most grueling scene to film: “You could ask me this question on 10 different days and I might give you 10 different answers because it really was a physical film and there was so much to choose from. Off the top of my head, there’s a really great sequence and I know that we’re focusing on the people of present day 2021, but when we do make that jump to 2051, there’s this transition and we fall from the sky in Miami and land in a pool. There was some serious water work that we got to do and that is a lot of fun. We got to jump off of this high dive that we built out of a fork lift and jump off into the water. The camera followed us down and then you had stunt people jumping down and landing on top of you forcing you under water. That whole sequence probably took two or three days, was really cool, really fun, really physical. There’s a camera down there, you’re trying to get smashed into the ground and come up, and struggle into a close up underwater. It was a lot of fun. That’s something that stands out.”
On his character relationship with his father: “This is a guy who’s not happy with his station in life and through the course of the events in his life. He’s got, of course, this relationship with his dad that he’s estranged from, and he’s blaming his father for all of his issues. His dad wasn’t around, et cetera. He realizes through the course of this story, that in fact, he has more similarities with his father than he’s even realized, and in coming to grips with that, gets to a place of grace and of acceptance and forgiveness for his father because he sees that it wasn’t easy for his father either. That’s a real pivotal moment that comes in adulthood. I think that that’s a big part of this. Yes, in the beginning it seems like we’re two different people, but in fact, I think we have a lot more in common than Dan would like to admit.
On working with Chris McKay on his first blockbuster film: “It’s so awesome to see this. He’s been making films for years, and this is a big live-action movie, it was a massive step for him and for me coming on as a producer. I had so much to learn. I was grateful to be surrounded by really smart people. I was grateful to be working with Chris. He’s the kind of guy that is open to collaboration but also has a very clear vision. This is 100% his baby. He gave himself a lot of amazing options for the edit. He’s got this thing, this personality, a great knowledge of film, but also just a really vibrant personality, an exciting aura about him when he’s on set. It’s really contagious. After this movie, I really think the world is completely his oyster. He can do whatever he wants. He shows that he can handle a massive budget, get it done on time under budget, and deliver a great movie. He’s going to have his pick of jobs that he’s going to want to do. That’s really cool.”
On acting in front of a green screen: It’s true that it’s more liberating when you don’t have a prop to work with because you basically force the animators to do whatever they have to do to make your choices work. If you have a real tentacle you’re limited to how you can move it, but if you have a fake one, you can be like, ‘Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa’. Then you just imagine an animator pulling their hair out being like, ‘Oh, great. I have to make that work somehow.’ It’s pretty fun. I’ve had my fair share of experience of running from and fighting against creatures that aren’t there. Yes, there’s certainly a craft to it. It’s the most embarrassing acting you’ll ever do. Acting opposite something that’s not there and fighting something that’s not there is particularly embarrassing”.
The Tomorrow War will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on July 2.