Hollywood star Chris Pratt, known for his roles in “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The Avengers,” is currently financially secure, but he remembers a time when he spent his first Hollywood paycheck of $75,000 within two months and was shocked by his actions.
Before rising to fame in Marvel movies, Chris Pratt’s life was relatively humble, and his income was modest. In an interview on SiriusXM’s “Sway in the Morning” show, Pratt admitted that in the early stages of his career, he was not frugal and didn’t know how to manage his earnings. He revealed how he squandered the money he made from his first Hollywood film. Pratt jokingly recalled, “In my mind, I thought my money would never run out.”
Reflecting on receiving a large sum of money for the first time, Pratt said, “When I first got paid, I was like, is this real? For a long time, I had been living on very little money.” Due to the low salary as an actor, Pratt even worked as a waiter to make ends meet. He shared, “So, when I got my first big job, I remember it was called a Schedule F job, like a TV movie, and they paid me $75,000.”
Pratt talked about the feeling of receiving a large paycheck for the first time, saying, “I was like, I’m not waiting anymore, I’m out of here. Then about two months later, I was like, where did that money go?” Pratt revealed that he traveled to Hawaii, Australia, and around the world, thinking he couldn’t possibly spend all the money. He joked about considering investing in the stock market and buying a yacht with the money but ended up with very little left.
According to Insider, Pratt’s mother worked in a grocery store, and his father worked in construction. Pratt previously shared that before starting his acting career in his early twenties, he lived in a van on the island of Maui. During that time, he did odd jobs, from washing cars to performing as a stripper.
On the show, Pratt mentioned that it took him a long time to understand the importance of financial literacy. He questioned how he could provide for his family if he ever found himself without work. “So, developing a financial knowledge plan in my later life was one of my growth steps,” Pratt emphasized.
Recently, Chris Pratt voiced the character of “Garfield” in the newly released film “Garfield: Farm Adventure.” He has also portrayed the lead character Owen Grady in “Jurassic World,” the protagonist Peter Quill in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” and voiced “Mario” in the highest-grossing film of 2023, “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”