Chris Pratt and Jason Momoa once had their fates clash at an audition during which the Star-Lord actor left the latter in awe of his skills.

Marvel Studios, back in 2014, leaped into its most ambitious and cash-guzzling gamble yet as James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy rolled out and played on the big screens. Consisting of a rag-tag group that even had a talking raccoon and a tree life-form, the movie brought about surprising success and kick-started one of the most iconic MCU franchises.

Riding on a unique mix of humor, grit, and a plot that took audiences across every nook and cranny of deep space, the mega project initially set off a bigger quest for landing its actors.

Chris Pratt as Star-Lord was the first casting call that the filmmaking team settled on. Thereafter, the quest for a Drax actor led them to Aquaman star Jason Momoa, who not only auditioned for the role but fell star-struck with praise for the Jurassic World actor. As fate would have it, they never got the time to share screen space inside Marvel, but their chemistry in the run-up to the making of the film tells a story sufficient to highlight their charismatic bond.

Jason Momoa recalled Chris Pratt acting circles around him

The Passenger actor has enjoyed a successful career in Hollywood as well as in Marvel. However, to land the role of Star-Lord, the actor had to endure quite a few setbacks, including previous rejections for roles like that of Thor. Yet, Chris Pratt never let go of his delightful persona, which Jason Momoa recalled during a February 2014 interview with Zap2It (via Flickering Myth) regarding his Guardians of the Galaxy audition.

Called in to read for the role of Drax, the now 44-year-old summed up his experience alongside Pratt as one of the “funniest auditions I’ve ever done in my life”. Additionally, he also heaped praise on his fellow actor for his improv skills and a “Han Solo vibe”.

One of the funniest auditions I’ve ever done in my life was with [Chris]. He’s phenomenal. He’s going to kill it. It’s going to be amazing. It’s a whole Han Solo vibe. It’s going to be a phenomenal movie. I’m glad that he is the lead of that. He’s funny as hell, man. He can improv; he just acts circles around me. It was really, really fantastic.

Unfortunately, the Honolulu-born had to let go of this chance to share screen spaces. In the same round of talks, he revealed that the role of Drax came across as too similar to the ones he had recently partaken in. Moreover, he also pointed out his wish to direct Road to Paloma as one of the prime reasons why he opted out of acting at that time and instead allowed the role to pass on to Dave Bautista.

Guardians of the Galaxy led Pratt to a brighter future

Apprehensions rode high concerning the hit-or-miss nature that Guardians of the Galaxy presented before its run at the box office. Yet, after three movies and appearances in crossover events like the last two Avengers flicks, Chris Pratt has completely made himself synonymous with Star-Lord and commands massive recognition as the face of a franchise that has grossed close to $2 billion at the global box office.

Soon after the 2011 and 2014 installments of his MCU outing, the actor joined hands with the Jurassic World franchise and has appeared in a trilogy ever since. Moreover, he has also starred in several individual projects, including the latest ones like The Super Bros. Movie and The Garfield Movie. Finally, he has also hinted at a possible reprisal of his MCU role as well as a possible move to DC, where he would find the refuge of James Gunn.