Chris Pratt is raising money for victims of the Maui fires… two decades after he was discovered at a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant in Hawaii
Chris Pratt wants to give back to the community in Hawaii, where he was discovered as a teenager by actress Rae Dawn Chong.
Three weeks after West Maui was left in ruins after a catastrophic wildfire, the 44-year-old Jurassic World Dominion star announced that he was teaming up with clothing brand TravisMathew, “to do some good.”
“Many of you may or may not know this, I was discovered in Maui. Particularly in Lahaina, where he “shrunk up shrimp at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company,” he recalled his 45 million Instagram followers.
Following the natural disaster, which killed at least 106 people, the actor stated that Front Street, often referred to as “the jewel in Maui’s crown,” has been “destroyed.”
“Hundreds of people have lost their lives. Thousands of others lost their homes. That’s why I’m teaming up with TravisMathew today for our second annual charity sale event,” he continued. “Every dollar is donated to the Maui Strong Fund.”
On a roll: Chris Pratt looks back to give back to the community in Hawaii, where he was discovered as a young teen by actress Rae Dawn Chong
The sale will run all day on September 1 until 11:59 PM PST.
Pratt and TravisMathew revealed that they have already raised $250,000.
Announcing the sale, TravisMathew shared a throwback photo of Pratt as a young teen when he was still living in The Aloha State.
“Maui is home to many, including the @travismathew family and a young @prattprattpratt,” the company captioned the image.
TravisMathew continued, “When Chris was 19, he worked at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant. in Maui while living in a van. There he waited for actress Rae Dawn Chong, who eventually cast him in his first movie that got him discovered.”
The brand noted that in the “development of Chris’ career” and “one of the many reasons why” the community teamed up with them and the Hawai’i Community Foundation to support the Maui Strong Fund.
In 2014, Pratt recounted his time “living in a van in Maui.”
At the time, he said he listened to the 1999 song Forgot About Dre and “smoked weed every day.”
Three weeks after West Maui was left in ruins after a catastrophic wildfire, the 44-year-old Jurassic World Dominion star announced he has teamed up with clothing brand TravisMathew, “to do some good”
“Many of you may or may not know this, I was discovered in Maui. In Lahaina, in particular, where he slurped shrimp at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company,” he reminded fans
“It’s a great place to be homeless,” he explained. “It would be different if I lived on the streets of Chicago and ate garbage out of a dumpster.”
At the time, he said he worked “minimum hours, 15 to 20 hours a week, just enough to cover gas, food and fishing supplies.”
“You know, it was a charming time,” he said of his days sleeping in his van or a tent on the beach.
After Chong discovered him at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in 2000, his life changed completely.
“Originally, the dream was to pay my bills by doing nothing but acting,” he says. “I got there, but the dream is constantly evolving. Then my dream was to play roles that are more than just the bad guy or the dork,” he told The Independent.
Pratt continued, “Back then it was meant to play sidekick roles; then comedy. Now it’s like I’ve crossed the line where I actually say no to things. I could never have fathomed that. I used to do herpes drug commercials if you wanted me to. Please, as long as I don’t have to wait at the table anymore.’
Over twenty years in the spotlight: Chris scored his breakthrough role in the short film Cursed Part 3 before starring in The OC, Bride Wars, Jennifer’s Body, Moneyball, The Five-Year Engagement, Zero Dark Thirty and the television series Parks And Recreation
Happy life: He married his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger in 2019 and welcomed their daughter Lyla Maria in 2020 and their second child, Eloise Christina, just two years later
Large Family: He was previously married to Anna Faris, the mother of his 10-year-old son Jack
More than twenty years later, he returned to Maui to shoot his 2015 film, Jurassic World.
“It was so surreal — one of those weird things that happen in life,” he said while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
He previously shared a photo of himself standing next to his old white van, holding the “script for the movie that ‘got him’ out of Maui.”
Chris scored his breakout role in the short film Cursed Part 3 before starring in The O.C., Bride Wars, Jennifer’s Body, Moneyball, The Five-Year Engagement, Zero Dark Thirty, Her, Delivery Man, and the Parks And Recreation television series.
He married his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger in 2019 and welcomed their daughter Lyla Maria in 2020 and their second child, Eloise Christina, just two years later.
He was previously married to Anna Faris, the mother of his 10-year-old son Jack.