Anna Faris Reveals Why It Really Was Such Shocking News When She And Chris Pratt Split

Anna Faris and Chris Pratt in Movie 43
(Image credit: (Relativity Media))

Chris Pratt and Anna Faris used to be one of the most beloved celebrity couples in Hollywood. The pair met on 2007’s Take Me Home Tonight and seemed a match in comedy star heaven as they continued to work together in projects like Movie 43 and What’s Your Number?, before welcoming their son Jack Pratt. It came to a shock to fans when the couple announced their split in 2017, and apparently was a surprise to even their closest friends and family.

Relationships are not easy to begin with, so imagine falling in and out of love in the spotlight. That’s how Chris Pratt and Anna Faris lived out their relationship, and amidst Pratt's skyrocket to fame from Parks and Recreation to Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. Faris recently spoke on the difficulties of divorce as a Hollywood couple, sharing how the end of the relationship felt more sudden then it actually was at first:

Because I didn’t have a lot of close girlfriends, I think it stunted me in a lot of ways. One of them being that I never talked about any issues, so to the people, even who I was closest to, I'm sure things were more transparent with my relationship with Ben, but with Chris, I think that we both protected that imagery even within our close circles.

Anna Faris shared that she felt like her issues in her marriage to Chris Pratt came as more a surprise to her and those around her because the couple felt like they had to isolate their problems. The 44-year-old actress also spoke to not having a tight-knit group of women friends to bounce off what she was going through during the marriage, perhaps leading to her own ignorance of the problems the relationship faced.

The conversation occurred on her popular podcast Anna Faris Is Unqualified while speaking to The OC and Hart of Dixie actress Rachel Bilson about heartbreak. Faris and Bilson are longtime friends who share a similar experience, in that they both had relationships and kids with their famous co-stars whom they are no longer with today.

Rachel Bilson dated Star Wars’ Anakin Skywalker, Hayden Christensen, for ten years as well (albeit it was more on and off), and had their daughter Briar Rose in 2014 before they split up in 2017. While discussing their experiences with breakups, the actresses spoke about the importance of support systems whether you’re in or outside a relationship, along with how “tunnel vision” one can be when there are problems you cannot see. Faris said this:

For me, I think after every breakup, at some point I realise that there were a lot of things I ignored that I really shouldn't have. In hindsight, it felt like my hand was forced. I don't think it was ever an independent decision, but also somewhere in me the seed had been planted.

Prior to marrying and divorcing Chris Pratt, Anna Faris was married to actor Ben Indra at a time when she was finding her early fame with Scary Movie and Just Friends. While she felt more transparent in that situation, it sounds like there was more pressure surrounding keeping it together with Chris Pratt with their Hollywood fame and child. Ultimately, they are now happier apart, each finding new romances and co-parenting Jack together.

Chris Pratt has since married Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daughter Katherine and recently had a daughter with her, Lyla. Anna Faris is engaged to cinematographer Michael Barrett and reportedly lives very close by Pratt based on their divorce agreement to maintain balance for their son. It’s great to hear the actress open up about her relationship with the Jurassic World star as the exes find new happiness with different partners.

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.