Chris Pratt Recalls Blowing Through $75,000 After His First Big Paycheck

Chris Pratt, star of 'The Garfield Movie,' opened up about his spending spree while on SiriusXM's 'Sway in the Morning.'

Chris Pratt is recalling his first paycheck after breaking into Hollywood. And he also remembers blowing through it in the blink of an eye.

The Garfield Movie star shared the experience while paying SiriusXM's Sway in the Morning a visit. And it was Sway Calloway's co-host, Tracy G, who wondered if Pratt's modest beginnings meant it was difficult to spend his money after earning a big payday.

The short answer? No!

"Oh, no. No. No. I was under the impression that I would never run out of money," answered Pratt while bursting into laughter. "The first paycheck I got, I was like, 'Are you serious?' I had lived on very little money for a long time, so the first big job I got ... was a TV movie. I got paid $75,000."

In hilarious fashion, Pratt, a former waiter who after high school lived in his van in Hawaii, danced and belted out his own rendition of George Michael's "Careless Whisper."

"I was like, 'I'm never gonna wait again. F***k you, b***hes, I am leaving,'" he quipped. "And then about two months later, I was like, 'Where'd that money go?!'"

Pratt, who would later helm the Jurassic Park and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises, said he visited Maui, Australia and traveled the world thinking the money well wouldn't run dry. But it did. In a flash.

"I was like, 'Well, I'm gonna probably invest, I'm probably gonna get a yacht,'" he added.

Growing up, Pratt said financial literacy just wasn't part of his world. He said he never could have imagined making that kind of money. And not having that financial literacy meant the dough went out as quickly as it came in.

"We never had any money growing up. No one ever taught me financial literacy. I didn't know what to do with money. It was like, it would come in, I would spend it," he said. "It took a good amount of time for me to kind of stop and say, 'All right, I gotta get wise about this. I have to think about, 'What am I gonna do? How am I gonna get to the point to where if I stop working one day, I'll still be OK? My family will be OK.' So, kind of coming up with a financial literacy plan, you know, later in my life was sort of one of the steps of me growing up."

Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt, both wearing custom Paul Smith outfits, at The Garfield Movie premiere on May 19, 2024 in Hollywood, California. - Getty

Pratt, wearing a custom Paul Smith brown and orange checked double breasted suit for The Garfield Movie premiere, also shared there were many small steps that made him feel like he "made it" -- from a Carl's Jr. TV commercial to earning his SAG card and finding talent representation in Hollywood. But there were also huge milestones, like buying his mother, Kathy, a house after his role on The WB's Everwood.

"That's when I felt like I made it," he shared.

Pratt's now starring in The Garfield Movie (in theaters now), and he shared with ET last week why his daughters -- Lyla Maria, 3, and Eloise Christina, 1, whom he shares with Katherine Schwarzenegger -- hadn't seen the film yet.

"My son has seen it and he loved it but my daughters haven't seen it yet," Pratt said of his 11-year-old son, Jack, whom he shares with ex-wife Anna Faris

But as far as his daughters? 

"If they act right, they'll get a personal screening, but if not, no. So far, it's half and half," he joked. "I'd love to have a personal screening, it'll be great. As soon as they're ready for that, which, by the way I think is pretty soon because this movie is -- it's OK for kids, it's safe for kids."

RELATED CONTENT: