DUBAI: Chris Pratt has taken on a number of roles in blockbuster films since his ascent from scene-stealing sitcom cast-member to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but none may have been a better fit than Emmet in “The Lego Movie” series. After all, no other star has the boyish enthusiasm that Pratt has— and no star is easier to imagine playing with Lego on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
“Is there a Lego store in Dubai?” Pratt asks Arab News. “I want to go! I want to go to Dubai so bad! I heard it’s amazing and I want to see it.”
In the sequel to the acclaimed 2015 hit, Emmet remains as happy-go-lucky as ever — similar to the persona Pratt has built for himself. When Arab News compliments the watch Pratt his wearing, Pratt bashfully inspects it.
“Oh thanks, it’s from a company called ‘Cartler’,” Pratt says, seemingly unfamiliar with his own Cartier watch.
Pratt works double duty this time around, also taking on the role of Rex Dangervest — a scruffy chiseled action hero who rides a spaceship populated with dinosaurs. The character, a lampoon of Pratt’s own big-screen transformation over the years in such films as “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Jurassic World,” is an idea Pratt supported from the start.
“That wasn’t a thing that I read and was surprised by. They called and told me what some of their intentions were and I told them to go forward and do as much of that as they wanted to. I was happy to have that portion of my career be a muse for Rex Dangervest and I thought that it really works and is really funny,” Pratt says.
While the first film focuses mainly on a young boy and his relationship with his favorite toys, the sequel puts its focus much more on the boy’s younger sister and her Lego toys, dubbed “The Systar System” in the film, and the difficulty the two have in playing together.
“I think they put in a lot of extensive research into how kids play with Lego, and they found some data that says that girls do play slightly differently than boys. They explore that without making it too on the nose. I thought it was really nuanced and thoughtful,” Pratt says.
