Chris Pratt’s 157-Minute Action Thriller Changed Hollywood Forever, and It’s Streaming Now on Netflix
Chris Pratt has credited the 2012 thriller Zero Dark Thirty with transforming his image from Parks and Recreation's bumbling Andy Dwyer into the action star who would later lead Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. The film, now streaming on Netflix, is director Kathryn Bigelow's dramatisation of the decade-long CIA hunt for Osama bin Laden, and Pratt's small but memorable role as a Navy SEAL proved he could be taken seriously as a "badass" rather than purely a comic actor.
In the 157-minute film, Pratt plays fictional Navy SEAL Justin Lenihan, part of the team that carries out the raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, alongside Jessica Chastain's obsessive CIA analyst Maya. Pratt has said that, unlike with his comedic roles, audiences did not laugh when he appeared on screen, marking a turning point in how Hollywood perceived him. Zero Dark Thirty was both a critical and commercial hit, taking more than $132 million worldwide against a roughly $40 million budget and receiving five Academy Award nominations.
- Chris Pratt says Zero Dark Thirty relaunched his image as an action star
- The 2012 CIA-manhunt thriller is now streaming on Netflix
- Film grossed $132m+ and earned five Oscar nominations
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Zero Dark Thirty is a 2012 film directed by Kathryn Bigelow that dramatises the real-life, decade-long hunt by American intelligence operatives for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, culminating in the 2011 raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. It stars Jessica Chastain as a CIA analyst obsessed with tracking him down, alongside a large ensemble cast including Chris Pratt in a supporting role as a Navy SEAL involved in the raid.
Chris Pratt was, at the time, primarily known as a comic actor from the sitcom Parks and Recreation, playing the good-natured but dim character Andy Dwyer. He later became one of Hollywood's leading action stars, headlining the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World franchises.
The film was both a critical and commercial success on its original release, earning over $132 million worldwide and receiving five Academy Award nominations. It has recently become available to stream on Netflix, prompting renewed attention to its cast and legacy.