How Joel Edgerton botched his Marvel audition

Last Updated on May 29, 2024

Casting Chris Pratt as Star-Lord was a pretty big gamble for Marvel. After all, to most of us he was the man-child Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation and nothing more. Fortunately for Pratt and the MCU, director James Gunn saw something special in him. While a number of actors also auditioned for the part, one who still remembers that moment and why he didn’t land Peter Quill is Joel Edgerton, who is well aware he just didn’t understand the tone they were going for.

Appearing on The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast (via Variety), Joel Edgerton remembered Guardians of the Galaxy being one of the most high-profile projects he missed out on, probably for good reason. “Star-Lord’s a good one, actually, because I, unlike Chris [Pratt], didn’t quite sort of understand the tone of it the way he did and the way that those guys did. And I wasn’t really sure how I could be a part of that tone.” He added that it all turned out for the best, though, saying, “And I truly think that the world is a much better place that I’m not Star-Lord, even if I had the opportunity or I did a good enough audition because it is the way it’s meant to be.”

Joel Edgerton also made it clear that he was far away from ever being truly considered, adding, “And there was never a real conversation that it would have definitely been me. It was just, I had the opportunity to try and audition. I just didn’t quite understand it.”

Joel Edgerton is in the company of Adam Brody, Eddie Redmayne, Jim Sturgess, and more as far as those who auditioned for Star-Lord. But we couldn’t imagine anyone else in that role now other than Pratt, who has helped mold Guardians of the Galaxy into one of the most cherished series within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy pulled in just under $2.5 billion worldwide, with Vol. 2 ranking as the most successful of the series. Edgerton, meanwhile, can be seen in sci-fi series Dark Matter.

Do you think Joel Edgerton could have done well as Star-Lord or was there nobody better for the part than Chris Pratt?