After seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, it feels wrong to think of any other actor in the lead role of Peter Quill, yet Chris Pratt revealed that he almost turned down the role that has made him one of the hottest actors of the year (and hopefully the decade because I’m officially in love with him, sorry boyfriend and Pratt’s wife Anna Farris.)

Pratt revealed in an interview with Esquire for their September issue that he almost backed out of the Marvel picture thanks to a bad experience with an audition for G.I. Joe role a few years ago. He said,

“When Guardians of the Galaxy was pitched to me, I said, ‘I don’t think so.’ I just didn’t picture myself getting the role,” Pratt says. “I didn’t want to go and embarrass myself like I did when I auditioned for G.I. Joe a couple of years previously. I went in there, and halfway through I saw the director’s eyes just glaze over. It made sense — I was a little heavy and out of shape. I was not gonna play someone from G.I. Joe. I did not look like a G.I. Joe action figure come to life.”

But as you know, Pratt got the role and did an intense physical regimen to get in shape for the film. (And looks damn fine in it.)

“I can do 40-inch box jumps now. Action-hero physical stuff,” he says. “Jumping that high feels really good. You see a giant hillside, and you think, I wanna get up that. You see a building, you think, I could climb that. When you get in shape, the world around you becomes things you wanna jump on and climb up.”

Pratt proved himself worthy as well. Guardians of the Galaxy as blown away audiences and the box office this year and as already been picked up for a sequel that will release in 2017. Pratt has signed on for a multi-year contract with Marvel as well which is only good news for me and fans everywhere.