This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Chris Pratt Says His Blue-Collar America Remark Was 'Pretty Stupid'

Chris Pratt Says His Blue-Collar America Remark Was ‘Pretty Stupid’
Chris Pratt attends the ceremony honoring him with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Michael Tran via Getty Images
Chris Pratt attends the ceremony honoring him with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Chris Pratt attends the ceremony honoring him with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Michael Tran via Getty Images
Chris Pratt attends the ceremony honoring him with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Anna Faris has been live-tweeting her life away this week, so maybe she noticed that her husband’s comments about diversity in Hollywood didn’t exactly go over well on social media.

Earlier in the week, Chris Pratt told Men’s Fitness that Hollywood has a representation problem when it comes to blue-collar Americans, despite an Oscar season that highlighted the experience of working-class people (see: “Moonlight, “Manchester By The Sea” or “Fences”).

“I don’t see personal stories that necessarily resonate with me, because they’re not my stories,” he said. “I think there’s room for me to tell mine, and probably an audience that would be hungry for them. The voice of the average, blue-collar American isn’t necessarily represented in Hollywood.”

His comments immediately elicited a passionate response from tweeters who were quick to remind Pratt that not only are there a tons of movies about working-class white men, there are other and more pressing representational issues to focus on in Hollywood.

Pratt apparently realized the error of his ways and took to social media on Friday to walk back his statements after the backlash.

“That was actually a pretty stupid thing to say. I’ll own that,” he wrote on Friday. “There’s a ton of movies about blue-collar America.”

Celebrities, take note. Now this is how to take responsibility and apologize publicly.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.