Movie Star Chris Pratt Goes Viral with Veterans Day Post About His Brother
Chris Pratt’s turn as Andy Dwyer in “Parks and Recreation” might be my favorite sitcom performance of the 21st century. And yes, I’m including Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson in this. As a small-l libertarian, this pains me to say, but, let’s face it — Pratt’s supremely dumb, supremely likable, perpetually optimistic Andy was pitch-perfect.
Pratt isn’t supremely dumb, but he seems to have the other two characteristics in spades.
Oh, and he’s also not shy about standing up for his faith and for patriotic values. In Hollywood, that’s usually the epitaph for your career. For Pratt, it’s only made him more likable.
Speaking of likable, Pratt commemorated Veterans Day with a shout-out to one of his favorite veterans — his brother.
“This is my older brother Cully,” Pratt wrote in an Instagram post. “I always wanted to be exactly like him. We were the same size despite our three year difference in age so as a kid I would wear the same clothes he wore, literally the day after he wore them- picking them up off the floor in his room. What can I say? He knew how to match and I liked the smell. One day his friends started to notice and he kindly urged me to wear my own clothes.
“He is a good big brother. He’s always led with love. Growing up we wrestled for hours every day and smashed every bit of furniture in the house but never actually fought. He taught me everything. He put up with me and my incessant hyperactivity and forced his friends to do the same. I say all this to point out that he’s a real person.”
And that was the important part for Pratt — that “the more we can look at our veterans for who they are, actual people, with siblings and parents, with children and funny pasts- the more we can approach our relationships to them with compassion and understanding.”
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Pratt’s brother didn’t join the army because he wanted to pursue heroism — or, as Pratt put it, “because he wanted to be Rambo.” He couldn’t afford an education. He didn’t want to be stuck where he was. He knew that the Army was a hard path to take but he also knew it was his best shot out of there — particularly “for a hard nosed kid.”
“We have the greatest armed forces the world has ever seen,” Pratt said.
“It’s made up of real people who joined for myriad reasons. Brave men and women who sacrifice a whole hell of a lot. Today is their day. So celebrate a veteran today. Today I celebrate Cully, as well as my cousin Curtis, Uncle Steve, Uncle Skip, second Cousins, Joey, Ryan and Alex, besties Jared and Jeffrey, all those I’ve fished for hunted with, those who’ve blessed me with their challenge coins as I’ve encountered them on press junkets and in my travels, the many in the film industry working both in front of and behind the cameras. To those currently serving and those out thanks for your service. We appreciate you!”
It may not have made the front page of Variety, but it’s garnered over 1.6 million likes as of Wednesday morning.
It’s never to late to spread a little Veterans Day love and this definitely qualifies. But then again, when it comes to sneaking some good old fashioned American values into Hollywood, this isn’t Pratt’s first rodeo. (And quite frankly, knowing Chris Pratt, I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t his first actual rodeo, either.)
During an appearance on Stephen Colbert‘s show, he talked about doing the biblically inspired Daniel Fast and quoted Christian author Christine Caine when asked how he survived Hollywood: “If the spotlight that’s shining on you is brighter than the light that comes from within you, it’ll kill you.”
Oh, and this was his Instagram from Easter.
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He also made sure a 100-year-old vet received 50,000 letters for his birthday.
Cully, by the way, enlisted in 1995. According to Fox News, he now works with the Solano County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy public information officer.
“It was hard, at times really hard. It asked ALOT and at times I complained a bunch to my friends and family, but I learned a lot myself, I grew up, earned over $50k for college,” he said about his service on Instagram.
“I NEVER would’ve had/done without it, learned a lot about good/bad leaders, working well in a group and just how important it is to have your family close.”
A cool movie star, and an even cooler brother. We salute you, Cully Pratt.
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