Chris Pratt apologizes for saying Hollywood doesn’t tell stories of ‘blue-collar’ Americans

Actor Chris Pratt has been shamed into apologizing after suggesting Hollywood doesn’t tell the stories of “blue-collar” Americans.

“I don’t see personal stories that necessarily resonate with me because they’re not my stories,” Pratt recently told Men’s Fitness. “I think there’s room for me to tell mine, and probably an audience that would be hungry for them.”

“The voice of the average, blue-collar American isn’t necessarily represented in Hollywood,” he said.

The “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2” star said today’s polarizing political climate is keeping people from relating to one another. Pratt, who is from Washington state but now lives in Los Angeles, dared to suggest he could help bridge those differences, since he doesn’t feel he fits neatly into either established political side.

“I really feel there’s common ground out there that’s missed because we focus on the things that separate us,” he told the magazine. “You’re either the red state or the blue state, the left or the right. Not everything is politics. And maybe that’s something I’d want to help bridge because I don’t feel represented by either side.”

But Pratt was met with backlash almost immediately after Men’s Fitness published his comments.

Here’s how Marie Claire shredded the “Jurassic World” performer:

While it’s nice that Chris wants to see more people like himself on-screen, he is a straight, white male. And Hollywood has an *actual* diversity problem at the moment — both in terms of race and gender. So, actually, maybe it’s time for there to be less stories like Chris Pratt’s, and more stories about, oh, you know, literally any other marginalized community in this country.

Pratt responded on Twitter to the Marie Claire piece, writing: “That was actually a pretty stupid thing to say. I’ll own that. There’s a ton of movies about blue-collar America.”

People responded like this: “Chris Pratt isn’t afraid to admit when he’s wrong.”

It should be noted there have been several recent movies that appeal to blue-collar Americans, such as “Manchester By the Sea,” which tells the story of a handyman, “Fences,” which chronicles the life of a sanitation worker, and “Hell or High Water,” featuring a rancher.

But there certainly is a dearth of entertainment appealing to a more conservative audience. Some social media users apparently recognized that reality, and defended Pratt.

Pratt, who professes to be a Christian, made headlines in February when he shared the Bible verse he’s “relied on for strength.” The Scripture he shared, Philippians 4:13, reads, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”