Chris Pratt says he thought he could save the ever-imperiledParks and Recby breaking things on the set. Pratt’s Andy Dwyer was known to inject a measure of chaos into the otherwise orderly proceedings on NBC’s critically-acclaimed but low-rated sitcom. Despite the valiant efforts of Pratt and his castmates,Parks and Recreationremained on perpetual cancellation watch, finally getting the ax in 2015.
As revealed in Jerry actor Jim O’Heir’s new bookWelcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles and Parks and Recreation(viaEW), Pratt’s sometimes destructive on-set energy was not an accident, but was part of his attempt to keep the show on the air by any means necessary. In his interview for the book, Pratt recalled the season 2 episode “Greg Pikitis,” in which he caused his co-star to break by spontaneously smashing a coffee mug and knocking over a sign:
“You have to remember, the show was always on the bubble, it felt like we were fighting for our jobs — [such] that my friend just told me, ‘You just have to go in there and start breaking s—. People love to see stuff get broken. If you’re going to get canceled, just go down swinging.'”
“On that episode, I took a glass, smashed it on the wall, it broke a sign. The kid who played Greg Pikitis, he kind of broke and laughed, which was on camera… and then I started just making s— up, and it ended up being funny and it made the episode.”
After his act of improvised chaos made it into the show, Pratt felt he had been given a license to continue destroying things, leading to problems for the props department:
“From that point on, it gave me permission to just destroy s—. I went through so many props — I was breaking computers, I’d put a huge dent in a car. I just did the craziest stuff. It reminded me of that showDouble Dare, from when I was a kid. I would just go to work and smash stuff. There were times where it was like, ‘Props can’t fix that, electrical has to come in.'”
What This Means For Andy Dwyer And Parks And Recreation
Pratt’s Improvisations Helped Andy Develop As A Character
Pratt’s on-set shenanigans, like shocking his co-stars by walking onto set in the nude, sometimes got him in trouble with the higher-ups. ButParks and Recproducers also knew a good thing when they saw one, and were happy to encourage Pratt’s wild improv bits, provided they didn’t lead to any HR complaints. Originally a somewhat hangdog and pathetic character,Andy Dwyersoon developed a devil-may-care attitude and child-like charm that made him an integral part of the show’s (admittedly modest) success.
Pratt’s on-set shenanigans, like shocking his co-stars by walking onto set in the nude, sometimes got him in trouble with the higher-ups.
Thanks to Pratt’s tale for O’Heir’s book, it’s been revealed exactly how pivotal the “Greg Pikitis” episode was to the evolution of Andy. The season 2 installment didn’t just introduce Andy’s alter ego, FBI agent Bert Macklin, it also helped unlock the character as a (mostly harmless) wild card, through a moment that was basically a throwaway.
Our Take On Pratt’s Tale Of On-Set Destruction
Pratt’s Efforts May Have Helped Save Parks And Rec – For A Time
Pratt’s new revelations show that there was more to the evolution of Andy than just shrewd writing and inventive, off-the-cuff acting. Indeed, Andy’s character development was in part an outgrowth of Pratt’s eagerness to save the show from cancelation.Parks and Recperhaps would have been canceled sooner if not for Pratt transforming Andy from somewhat undercooked sad-sack to lovable, at times destructive goofball, becoming one of the show’s biggest draws.
Parks and Recultimately did go off the air, but by the time the ax fell in 2015, Pratt had established himself as a bona fide movie star. The lessons Pratt learned about controlling his chaotic energy likely helped him when he took on the role ofStar-LordinGuardians of the Galaxy. Pratt’s improv ability, honed onParks and Rec, made him a perfect fit for James Gunn’s brand of humorous-but-melancholy comic book sci-fi.
Parks and Recreation
Cast
Parks and Recreation is a television series that premiered in 2009, focusing on Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in Pawnee, Indiana. She encounters various challenges from bureaucrats and citizens while striving to beautify the town through her role in the Parks and Recreation Department.
