The actor opens up to ET about getting the chance to portray a 'dirty, nasty, lowdown' villain.
Chris Pratt is opening up about the challenges of showing his dark side in his new film, The Kid.
The action star -- best known for playing leading man heroes and comedic relief characters in his slew of major blockbusters and his time on Parks and Recreation -- is going bad to play the villain in the upcoming western, and admitted that he didn't know if he'd be able to do the role at first.
ET's Kevin Frazier caught up with Pratt at a screening of The Kid at Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood on Wednesday, and he was candid about taking on such a sinister role.
"It was a real challenge to be that dirty, nasty, lowdown bad guy," the 39-year-old actor shared. "I've never had a chance to do that before and it was definitely a challenge."
Also appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday, Pratt echoed these sentiments and explained that director Vincent D'Onofrio -- who he starred alongside in the 2016 western The Magnificent Seven -- thought of him specifically when he was "putting his spin on the script."
"I think I had confided in him that I don't think I would ever be able to play a bad guy. The characters I play, they haven't really been bad," Pratt recalled. "Early in my career, if I had tried to be bad, people would be like, 'Oh, he's not that bad."
"And he was like, 'Oh, I can make you bad,'" Pratt said of D'Onofrio. "And I accepted the challenge."
Ultimately, Pratt said that he appreciated being able to portray an entirely different kind of character. "It was really an opportunity to do something different" he explained. "I liked it."
The Jurassic World star -- who joked with ET about "rolling solo on the red carpet" without fiancee Katherine Schwarzenegger -- also had a message for his fans when at the Hollywood premiere of his movie.
"If you only see one movie this weekend, you know, make it Captain Marvel," he quipped to ET. "But if you see a second movie, or Captain Marvel is sold out, go check out The Kid. It's this little movie and it's really, really great."
The Kid -- also starring Ethan Hawke, Dane DeHaan and Leila George -- hits theaters on Friday.
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