Why Chris Pratt Says ‘Chris’ Is ‘Not My Name’

Chris Pratt had a lot of interesting new things to share with fans this summer, including the fact that he rarely uses his first name. Despite being counted among “the Hollywood Chrises,” Pratt recently told SiriusXM Radio host Jessica Shaw: “It’s not my name.” He said that most people call him by his last name or his initials.

“Yep. Pratt. CP. You know, CP. ‘Hey, CP.’ But no one calls me Chris,” Pratt said on Pop Culture Spotlight. “My friend, Chad. I went golfing with my friend Chad, my pastor, the other day and he was like, ‘No one calls you Chris? I’m gonna call you Chris. Alright, Chris. You’re up.’ And I was like, ‘No, it feels weird. It’s not my name. Don’t call me Chris.’”  

It makes perfect sense that Pratt would go by his last name in the workplace considering that he has recently shared the screen with Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth. Another Chris could pop up at any moment – the generally-accepted list includes Chris Pine, at least, and if you ask The Lonely Island, it includes Chris Rock as well.

However, that wasn’t even the biggest bombshell from Pratt this week. He gave another high-profile interview with Men’s Health where he revealed that, contrary to popular belief, he is not an especially “religious person.” Pratt came under fire in 2019 when Elliott Page called out the Hillsong Church for being “infamously anti-LGBTQ.” At the time, Pratt made a prolonged Instagram Story post defending the church, leading many to believe he was a member.

Now, Pratt says that’s not the case. He said: “I never went to Hillsong. I’ve never actually been to Hillsong. I don’t know anyone from that church.” He said that he made his Instagram post at the time because he didn’t want to “throw a church under the bus.” He added that when he goes to a religious service he either goes to Zoe Church or the Catholic church where his wife grew up worshipping.

“Religion has been oppressive as f— for a long time,” Pratt said later. “I didn’t know that I would kind of become the face of religion when really I’m not a religious person. I think there’s a distinction between being religious — adhering to the customs created by man, oftentimes appropriating the awe reserved for who I believe is a very real God — and using it to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred. Whatever it is. The evil that’s in the heart of every single man has glommed on to the back of religion and come along for the ride.”

Still, Pratt said that he tries to keep his rocky press coverage over the last few years in perspective. He said: “You don’t ever wanna get caught complaining or anything, ’cause I have so many blessings. I consider everything a blessing truly in my life. [But] why are they coming after me?”