Chris Pratt Reveals What’s So Special About Playing A Member Of The Military

In his new show “The Terminal List,” which drops on Amazon Prime on Friday, Chris Pratt is playing a Navy SEAL who returns home after his entire platoon is killed in an ambush, only to find that those he loves are in danger.

In a new interview promoting this project, Pratt talked about why playing a member of the more military is more “special” than portraying some of the superheroes he’s played in the past onscreen. But first, check out a trailer for “The Terminal List” below.

Pratt Talks Playing Navy SEAL 

“What makes these men so particularly special is their mortality,” Pratt said, according to Fox News. “You know, they step into these fights knowing they can die. They don’t do it because they have a bulletproof vest and they’re faster than a speeding bullet.”

“These are guys who have each others’ backs and who routinely do sacrifice their lives in the line of duty,” he added. “So, playing that, it’s important to ground them in reality and not make them superheroes.”

Pratt Surprised By World War II Veterans

This comes after Pratt, who has always shown a great deal of respect to veterans and members of the military, was surprised by some World War II veterans at the premiere of “The Terminal List.”

“This is a wonderful group of extraordinary men of the greatest generation,” he said on the red carpet. “These are World War II veterans, and every year they take a pilgrimage back to Normandy.”

“Thrilled to see them here. It was a surprise to me. I didn’t know they were going to be here. And it was an opportunity to kind of just catch up with them,” he continued. “I’ve been following their story. And I saw them, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we got to spend time together.'”

Full Story: Chris Pratt Honors World War II Veterans At Premiere Of ‘The Terminal List’

‘Honor Them For Their Great Sacrifice’

Pratt went on to say that he would love to be able to sit down with these heroic veterans and spend more time with them.

“You know, there’s not enough time in the world,” he explained. “Certainly on a press line where everything’s 15-second bites. I’d like to really sit down and really, really talk with them and honor them for their great sacrifice.”

While on the red carpet, Pratt also talked about how much he respects all of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military. 

“[I have an] absolute affinity for our Navy SEAL community, for our men and women in uniform, and especially for our special operators and all they go through and all they sacrifice,” he said.

Related: Chris Pratt Reveals What His Wife Gave Him A ‘Hall Pass’ To Do

‘The Terminal List’ A Family Affair

In “The Terminal List,” Pratt gets to act onscreen for the first time with his brother-in-law Patrick Schwarzenegger.

“I remember when Chris said, ‘Hey you know there’s this young role, Donny Mitchell, you’ll be the youngest in the platoon. But if you want to get this role, I need you to go and try to get into character and really get this,'” Schwarzenegger, 28, said last week, according to Yahoo News.

“I need you to gain 20 lbs. and start tactical training, and know how they move, the body language, all this stuff,'” he continued. “So it was kind of like a dream come true to get to work with them and learn from them.”

‘I Have Such Pride In Our Country’

Schwarzenegger, who is the younger brother of Pratt’s wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, went on to talk about how special the experience of making this series was for him. 

“And you know, I have such pride in our country and the men and women in our armed forces,” Schwarzenegger concluded. “To get to kind of work with them and work beside them in the actual show – I would say 80, 90 percent of the actual actors in ‘The Terminal List’ were real Navy SEALS – it was a really cool experience.”

Pratt and his entire family clearly have a lot of love for American military veterans and active service members, so this show is going to be one to remember. We can’t wait to check out “The Terminal List” ourselves when it drops later this week!