Chris Pratt covers the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly… to promote Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, not Avengers: Infinity War. Jurassic World doesn’t come out for a month, and Infinity War comes out in less than two weeks. It’s weird. Anyway, Pratt will probably manage to avoid answering most questions about his divorce from Anna Faris, and on the rare occasions when he is asked, he has a pretty good line that summarizes his experience. Some highlights from his EW profile:
What the latest Jurassic World movie will feel like: “At the end of the day, we’re all trying to make something that will be part of the Jurassic empire and tonally match the previous movies, but we’re going off in a new direction.”
Whether he’s worried about how this film will be received: “I feel like anxiety is a burden of the hyper-intelligent. It’s someone else’s job to worry about that. I just show up, stand on the X, say the lines, and give them all three of my scared faces.”
His divorce: “Divorce sucks. But at the end of the day, we’ve got a great kid who’s got two parents who love him very much. And we’re finding a way to navigate this while still remaining friends and still being kind to one another. It’s not ideal, but yeah, I think both of us are actually probably doing better.”
“It’s not ideal, but yeah, I think both of us are actually probably doing better.” I think he’s right about that? Anna Faris seems happier than ever, like she’s finally rediscovered her own identity. Chris seemed to take some time to mourn the marriage and he’s been seen going on some quiet, low-key dates. I see him getting remarried sooner rather than later, and I bet he ends up with a non-celebrity too. As for this – “I feel like anxiety is a burden of the hyper-intelligent” – that’s either a good line that someone wrote for him or a surprisingly sharp critique of his place on the food chain. Of course he cares that his movies are successful, but he’s also doing these huge extravaganza movies where he’s just one small part of an enormous machine.
Cover courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, additional photos courtesy of Getty.
I agree that anxiety and intelligence are linked. I wanted to see if he considered himself hyper-intelligent, or if he acknowledged that he was here to do a specific job. Good for him to understand his role.
Still not a fan due to the pet issues.
Now, see I disagree. I know for a fact people with intellectual disabilities suffer from anxiety (fragile-x syndrome, idiopathic autism linked to learning disabilities, many chromosomal deletions, etc).
Anxiety is often linked to a person’s lack of stimuli – with nothing to react to externally, the mind turns inward. For people with intellectual disabilities, they often seek stimuli (hand flapping, rocking, self harm) to stave off the anxiety.
However, I’m not going to get offended by what he says. He was just setting himself up for some self deprecating humor. Meh. Not going to argue his underlying assertion that he is less than hyper-intelligent. Lesser Chris is going to lesser Chris, you know?
larelyn – i agree with you totally. i think he was trying to be funny but he’ll get some push back from it. a quip about anti-intellectualism would be funnier if he wasn’t a right wing nutjob.
You may both be right. People who have the ability to understand consequences can be more prone to anxiety because they can see the millions ways where things can go wrong. However, certain conditions and disabilities can also gve you anxiety because of the opposite reason, not undertsanding the world around you.
Anyway, I think it was a snarky comment that we are taking very literally.
I agree too, these are excellent points and I’ve witnessed that anxiety in people with such disabilities.
As for what Lizzie said, anti-intellectualism in right-wingers, very good catch. It’s been very hard the past few decades watching, increasingly, people brag about stupidity and ignorance.
Higher intelligence has been scientifically linked to both higher rates of anxiety and mental illness in general, though that obviously doesn’t mean it can’t exist in people lesser educated or with limited abilities. Why that correlation exists isn’t completely understood, though they suspect it’s a combination of knowledge (IQ isn’t static, after all, so the more education you have the more you understand there is to fear) and possibly neurological function (some may have more “active” brains or a tendency toward chemical imbalance).
Intellectual disability is also decidedly different from being neurologically atypical. People with who are legitimately intellectually handicapped don’t have ability to adapt or understand beyond a certain degree comparable to people with average intelligence. People with ADHD and autism (and keep in mind that autism is an extremely broad spectrum), for instance, simply have different neurological function, which can range from anything from being unable to emulate social behaviors to utter disconnect with communicative human behaviors. Why they stim varies greatly, and it can be a result as much of overstimulation as understimulation. It’s really interesting stuff to look into. The brain is weird.
Veronica is right. There have been a lot of studies that have linked anxiety and higher intelligence. This article goes through some of them:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/recent-research-links-anxiety-with-higher-iq/
The headline made me laugh because I thought he might be referring to himself as hyper-intelligent. And then I laughed at the joke. I think anxiety can affect anyone regardless of intelligence. But I don’t know if I agree with Chris that the movie execs worried about the performance of the film are necessarily hyper-intelligent.
I totally think “hyper-intelligent” is a snarky comment about people foreseing box office rates and the like. He has the same anti-intellectual stance about acting that JLaw has.
Oh.my.god. Can the man not make a self-deprecating remark about himself without people picking it apart? Good lord. I mean some people really are too much.
Yea I don’t disagree. Anxiety tends to be pervasive with certain people and communities. But also within our culture because we have this mentality of getting ahead so you don’t fall behind. Leads to lots of kids with tons of anxiety and often unchecked.
Anxiety can be just as prevalent among young people who blocked from even the opportunity to get ahead. Maybe more so.
Agree that a hyper competitive environment is hard on everyone.
I have observed so much anxiety in young people that it unsettles me. I am talking from 12-22 years old. I don’t mean normal, healthy anxiety but debilitating anxiety, medication required.
I have it myself and I hate to see kids having to deal with it. Maybe it is just me but it sometimes seems like America has gone very awry in relation to creating whatever environment children need to succeed. Quest to be the best? Quest to survive? Idk but there is something there, or it is my anxiety!
Kids these days have anxiety through the roof. I think, though, that some are predisposed by genetics. I have a very high achieving son who I had to pull out of a ‘gifted’ class at 10 because he was stressing too much. And it isn’t only the high achievers. My own opinion is that kids don’t have time to decompress and relax. And no, video games, competitive sports and social media do not count. I think all those things just add to the problem. Sigh. It isn’t easy raising happy kids.
Some years ago, we were working with a well known actress. We were all hanging out talking during a break and someone was talking about seeing her therapist for her anxiety issues.
The actress gave her a long look and said with a smile, “Remember, attractive people like us experience angst, not anxiety.” 🙂
My mother in law is always exclaiming “ich habe angst” and then I get nervous because things sound very alarming in German. (I hope my phone does not translate into English, I hate that)
Oh boy, I have a mild anxiety disorder, go to therapy because of it, and let me tell you… it knocks the air out of me even thought it is not that serious in the grand scheme of things. I mean, people with grave mental disorders have it so much rougher. But I don’t feel smarter or stronger because of it. I actually feel quite weak when I have anxiety or panic attacks. But I suppose we are all survivors for dealing with this sh#t and managing to be somewhat functional people. Its great that there is awareness about such things nowadays – talking about our own struggles helps ease the burden!
Good luck as you work your way through it!
Panic attacks are a curse, I’ve been there. Still get one about once a year.
I wish there was greater understanding of panic attacks. I feel like the term is used too loosely. When you’re flopping around like a fish trying to breathe with blood pressure through the roof and totally incapable of functioning that’s something altogether different than an episode of being severely stressed out. I’m sure there’s a range of symptoms but the real thing be rough and misunderstood, even by medical professionals.
You do have a point. I guess that applies to other conditions as well. And panic attacks are quite the scary thing to go through.
Panic attacks are no joke. Both my husband and I have them. You really think that you might be dying. Therapy and meds help.
I cringed when I read the headline then I read the context and thought it was funny. I’m a dancer and I also have anxiety. I have attacks more leading up to a big performance. Like Chris, when I’m just showing up, learning someone else’s choreography, its smooth sailing. But, when it’s my choreography, my costume choices, my stage placement and lighting and I’m dancing, I start losing it. An attack is inevitable leading up to showtime.
He has that douchey smirk down pat.
It’s probably how he looks when he’s killing coyotes for fun.
He doesn’t bother me the way he does some people here, but I admit he does have a total fuckboi look about him.
He was trying to deliver a cheeky quote but come on dude, anxiety knows no bounds.
I actually know several people who could be termed ‘air-heads’ with anxiety issues. Have known them for years. Not one of them is a deep thinker in the least, some you can barely have a conversation with. Two are late 50’s, one is early 60’s and one is 30, so … I’m not a fan of the Pratts at all either.
I think anxiety and ADHD can go hand in hand ,because I’ve seen people with ADHDand anxiety hyper focus on one thing (my daughter went through this at a young age)we had her treated briefly with lowest dose of Ritalin possible and monitored her closely with our wonderful doctor.She only needed meds for this for about one year and the difference was amazing.Now,she is on lowest dose of Prozac possible for three years.Her intelligence is through the roof,but she doesn’t stress she’s like a little academic machine.I do believe that in some cases higher intellect can go hand in hand with anxiety-my belief is that it can be hard for the super intelligent to focus on one interest at a time,and meds can help them settle down both mentally and physically.
This is really interesting because it sounds like my 16 year old. She does have anxiety and mild OCD, but lately I’ve been wondering if it’s also ADHD. She hyper focuses on one thing at the expense of everything else. She is into organic things, though, and I can barely convince her to take an Advil when she has cramps. I feel she would really benefit from some kind of medication.
Medication saved my life, and I’m sorry that I didn’t start on it until my 30’s. Quality of life is so important.
I’m on meds too,though just xanax when needed.My daughter,before medication would hyper focus when she was young.DOGS,I absolutely $hit you not all she thought about was dogs,she memorized every breed out there and to hell with school work-she would sit at the tutor’s house and stare at her dog.Medication was a blessing,she’s still an intense personality,but just going to the doctor and talking and low doses of prescription medication have changed our lives.My best to you and your daughter.
A lot of the atypical neuroses tend to overlap because so many of them involve similar chemical imbalances and whatnot. Environment also plays a large part in how significant it is. Obviously, somebody with anxiety issues is going to encounter more symptoms if they’re living in a busy urban environment and struggling financially than a comfortable life in a quiet, more rural area. Psychological abuse, chronic pain, and trauma can also inspire long-term neurological changes.
Read your comment up thread @Veronica,and you make a lot of great points.Anxiety,OCD,hyper focus,panic attacks run in mine and my husbands family.It’s hard to look and behave “normal ” and then have a moment where it all crumbles-two days ago my husband on crowded elevator,I turned around and saw his palms actually DRIPPING sweat .Here’s something else I’ve considered,and maybe someone can back me up or not IDK,But just think how little of our available brain power we use as humans today,so what if the “mentally ill”are actually the ones (sometimes,not always)tapping into their higher and less used brain powers-but we as a society can’t deal with these people.”A Beautiful Mind”with Russell Crowe portraying the Nobel award winning John Nash is a movie that some how woke me to this line of thought-Nash was BRILLIANT AND Schitzophrenic,his meds dulled his intellect at times,but allowed him some normal life.Much that we don’t know even now ,I honestly think some doctors and nurses would rather medicate a patient to a zombie state than to study,this small population of the non functioning geniuses We all try but at the end we only have what is available today
Key quote: “I just show up, stand on the X, say the lines, and give them all three of my scared faces.”
Thank you for acknowledging your job isn’t rocket science.
I get that he’s trying to be funny. That being said, I bet the average person that doesn’t make a bajillion dollars for being a movie star, yet still has children to feed, clothe, and house, experiences high degrees of anxiety on a regular basis regardless of IQ…
I am not a big fan of him other than his roll on P&R. I can’t even tell you why, really. What I do like is the fact that he could be airing her dirty laudry but he isn’t. Classy divorce move. That’s all I have.
Intelligent people, I believe do have more anxiety. They analyze everything, therefore know what “could happen” and that causes the anxiety. Ignorance can be bliss.
I dunno…the comment gives me a little moue of distaste. I know that Second Best Chris (Evans ((Pine is always first)) has spoken publicly about dealing with anxiety and using mental health resources. #2 Chris is also a Twitter Liberal while #4 Chris is faaaarrr from it. I’ll need to watch Infinity Wars (repeatedly) to see how much screen time #2 and #4 share but there might be a tiny dig buried in that comment.
Who’s #3 Chris? Hemsworth?
Of course, he and Evans can flip based on length of hair and beard. Wait. Is there a fifth Chris?
I can’t bother to read about him, but is he saying he IS burdened in that regard or he’s so glad he isn’t? Never liked him.
He’s joking about his job not being particularly difficult and the anxiety of movie making being in the hands of the “highly intelligent,” i.e. the writers, producers, directors, etc.
The comments about anxiety being linked to a lack of intelligence are probably the most ridiculous and insensitive comments I have read in a long time. No wonder why people do not get help when they need it. Not only is that factually incorrect, it is a completely moronic thing to say.
Don’t like either of them and the film looks really bad and I won’t be paying, ever, to see a Pratt film (the animal thing) but refreshing to have another ‘consciously uncoupling’ ex-couple. No prolonged fights in the media or drawn out custody battles – that can only be good for their son.