Chris Pratt shared with ET how he is feeling after the loss of his friend and stuntman, Tony McFarr.
Chris Pratt is mourning his friend and longtime stuntman, Tony McFarr, who recently died unexpectedly at the age of 47.
Speaking with ET's Kevin Frazier from the premiere of The Garfield Movie -- which releases in theaters on May 24 -- the 44-year-old actor opened up about his stunt double's death and emphasized why it is so important that stunt performers are finally getting their due credit after decades of hard work.
"Man, Tony was as tough as they come," Pratt shared of his double from Jurassic World. "It's funny that it came that -- that news and his tragic passing came around the same time that [the movie] The Fall Guy came out."
The Ryan Gosling-led film stars the La La Land actor as a stuntman tasked with saving the day after the actor he acts as a body double for -- played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson -- goes missing. Gosling and the film's crew members have described the movie as a "love letter to stunt workers."
"I think the stuntmen are having a real moment right now being honored and he deserves to be honored for his contribution and all stuntmen do for what they do," Pratt told ET. "They're the toughest dudes, they're the coolest dudes on set by far."
Over the weekend, Pratt shared a tribute to McFarr on his Instagram. "We did several movies together. We golfed, drank whiskey, smoked cigars, and spent endless hours on set," Pratt wrote in an Instagram Story. "I'll never forget his toughness."
"He was always a gentleman and professional," Pratt continued. "He'll be missed. My prayers go out to his friends and family, especially his daughter."
McFarr died on Monday in his home in Florida. His death was confirmed by his mother, Donna, who first shared the news with TMZ, saying her son was "active and healthy" and the death was "unexpected." His cause of death has not been released yet.
In a statement to ET, the Orange County Medical Examiner's office confirmed that they have the case. "An exam has already taken place and cause/manner of death is pending toxicology results," the office said.
McFarr and Pratt first worked together on Jurassic World in 2015. The stuntman went on to double for Pratt in Passengers, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and, most recently, Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Outside of his projects with Pratt, McFarr worked on Bones, Homeland, Teen Wolf, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 1, Captain America: Civil War, The Accountant and Allegiant.
In a post shared from the set of GOTG 2 back in 2016, Pratt introduced his fans to his stunt double and friend.
"Here's me and my stunt-man Tony McFarr (also Tommy Harper stunt coordinator and our first AD Lars Winther) on set," the father of three captioned the post. "Been working with Tony since Jurassic World. Love you buddy! Happy wrap!"
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