# Chris Pratt lifts lid on his money struggles before hitting it big in Hollywood: ‘I was living in a van’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/chris-pratt-lifts-lid-on-his-money-struggles-before-hitting-it-big-in-hollywood-i-was-living-in-a-van/
- Published: 2026-11-04T22:32:57+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T02:39:41+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://pagesix.com/2026/11/04/celebrity-news/chris-pratt-lifts-lid-on-his-money-struggles-before-hitting-it-big-in-hollywood/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Film, World

## Key points

- Pratt was living in a van in Hawaii before his first film role.
- He had about $60 when he was offered “Cursed Part 3”.
- Rae Dawn Chong’s film gave him a route to Hollywood.

## Summary

Chris Pratt has recalled how he went from living in a van in Hawaii and waiting tables to landing his first film role, which took him to Los Angeles and set him on the path to Hollywood. He said the chance came when director Rae Dawn Chong visited the restaurant where he worked, and he approached her about acting.

Pratt said he had about $60, a bag of clothes and rollerblades when he was offered a part in the low-budget horror comedy “Cursed Part 3”. He had no phone of his own, so gave Chong a friend’s number; after receiving the script, he read it three times and memorised it for the audition. Pratt later became known for roles in “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Parks and Recreation”.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.