Actor Chris Pratt has seen significant backlash over the years for being upfront and transparent about his Christian faith — and when asked how he handles being the target of hateful comments, he doubled down.
Pratt, 43, told entertainment outlet Page Six last week that he always thinks back to the story of Jesus and the suffering he endured, which reminds him that for Christians, hatred often comes with the territory.
“I sure do,” Pratt acknowledged that he got plenty of criticism for being open about his personal faith. “But that’s nothing new, that’s nothing new, you know?”
He went on to quote a scripture that reiterated his point, saying, “If I was of this world, they would love me just like that but as it is, I’ve chosen out of this world. That’s John 15:18 through 20.”
“That’s the way it is, nothing new, 2,000 years ago they hated him, too,” he said of Jesus.
Pratt was rounding out a press tour for his latest Marvel film —”Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3″ — at the time, and he also told Page Six that thinking of Jesus’ struggles was only part of his process when it came to dealing with hateful comments.
Saying that the trick was to deal with hate “just how you deal with anything,” he added, “Like a rhino, stick your head down, you keep driving forward, you have thick skin and if anyone gets in your way, you stick the horn right up their ass!”
“When it comes to rejection, I was trained in the crucible of door-to-door sales some 25 years ago. So, you can’t turn me away,” the “Super Mario Bros.” actor joked, explaining that his experience as a salesman had actually helped him in his film career. “[Sales] is a very hard job and it’s not dissimilar to acting or at least auditioning. You gotta collect nine ‘no’s’ to get one ‘yes.'”
The Pratt-led “Super Mario Bros,” released the first week in April, was the first 2023 film to gross over $1 billion — and after just one weekend, “Guardians” has raked in more than $280 million worldwide.