Chris Pratt Thinks Men Should Be Objectified More

Gwynne Watkins
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Chris Pratt as object in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (Marvel)

Chris Pratt wants to help the feminist cause, one gratuitous shirtless scene at a time. In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, the Jurassic World star acknowledged that his chiseled abs have played a big role in his ascent to movie stardom. Does that make him feel objectified? “Totally,” said Pratt — and he’s fine with that.

“I think it’s okay. I don’t feel appalled by it,” said the actor. “I mean, I think it’s appalling that for a long time only women were objectified. But I think if we want to really advocate for equality, it’s important to not objectify women less, but just objectify men as often as we objectify women.”

Pratt, who has gained and lost weight several times over for different roles, says he’s simply part of a time-honored Hollywood tradition. “There are a lot of women who got careers out of [their bodies], and I am using it to my advantage,” said Pratt. “And at the end of the day, our bodies are objects. We’re just big bags of flesh and blood and meat and organs that God gives us to drive around.”

We’re all for equal-opportunity objectification, but Pratt should be aware that he’s in a privileged position: He can find acting work whether he’s chubby or skinny, which isn’t an option for most actresses. (Imagine Jennifer Lawrence, Hollywood’s most popular star, being fat in her next movie.) In Pratt’s case, he made a point of gaining weight for comedy roles, like his part as Andy Dwyer on the NBC series Parks and Recreation. “For my particular brand of comedy, my schtick of comedy, I think it works better when I’m fat… It’s not fun to do, necessarily, and it’s not fun to be, ‘cause I was always feeling crappy about myself and feeling unhealthy,” Pratt told the radio show. “But you can’t really self-deprecate if you’re shirtless with a six-pack. You can’t be like, ‘What, me? Pfft.’ That guy is a douche and he’s not funny. You want to punch that guy.”

(h/t Yahoo Movies UK)

Watch Chris Pratt on whether or not Andy Dwyer would survive ‘Jurassic World:’