Hollywood star Chris Pratt says everyone has to start somewhere

Chris Pratt nearly missed out on his big acting break.

The 47-year-old actor is now established as one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood - but Chris has revealed via social media that things could've easily gone differently.

Alongside a throwback photo, Chris wrote on Instagram: "Before Hollywood, I was living in a van in Hawaii and waiting tables at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. One day, the incredible Rae Dawn Chong walked into the restaurant, and naturally, I went up to her table and said, “Hey, you’re a movie star! What are you doing here?”

"She asked if I could act, and I said, “F*** yeah, put me in your movie!”

"She asked for my phone number. The only problem was I didn’t have one. So I gave her my buddy Mike’s number instead. A couple days later, Mike casually mentions, “Oh, by the way, someone called you.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME, MIKE?!

"I called her back, and sure enough, she was serious. I drove over to pick up the script, went back to Mike’s house, and read all 120 pages three times in a row. First script I’d ever read. My character’s name was Devon, and I remember thinking, “Sweet! I could totally play a Devon!" (sic)"

At the time, Chris only had "$60 to [his] name, a bag of clothes, and some rollerblades". However, the studio offered to fly him out to Los Angeles in order to shoot the movie.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star recalled: "Rae told me they’d fly me out. And I remember thinking right then and there, my life just changed forever. I’m going to be an actor.

"That little movie was Cursed Part 3, a low-budget horror comedy that opened the door to Hollywood for me."

Chris now acknowledges that one interaction has changed the course of his entire life.

The movie star - who is married to author Katherine Schwarzenegger - said: "I’ll forever be grateful to Rae for taking a chance on a kid working at a shrimp restaurant. Everybody starts somewhere, and this is where it all began for me."