Photo: Michael Bulbenko for Paley Center for Media.A lot is going on with the Parks & Recreation crew right now. Leslie's up for a big job at the National Park Service. Ann's about to have a baby. And, Tom's really dead set on that restaurant, for better or worse. We caught up with Chris Pratt, a.k.a. Andy Dwyer, at this week's PaleyFest panel honoring the show, to find out his take on the rest of season six. And, as it turns out, he's got a soft spot for the parks department's most hated member.
"I gotta say, I'm hoping we start being nicer to Jerry/Larry/Gary," he said. "It's getting a bit over the top. I like Jim [O'Heir] too much for us to be so mean to him all the time!" We tried to pry more clues from the actor about whether anyone from the cast might start buddying up to poor ol' Larry, but he stayed mum. He did give us a few musings on that mysterious mayor, though. "We've never established who Mayor Gunderson is, but all we know is that he has a dog," he said. "Bill Murray would be a dream for me [as the mayor], but I'd take anyone. John Goodman, John Lithgow — any of the Johns, really."
Pratt's onscreen character might be a little, well, juvenile, but the real-life actor is anything but. In fact, it's almost hard to believe that Chris and Andy are one and the same. After six years on the show, he's gotten more than familiar with the (albeit fictional) inner-workings of government, so we had to know what his ideal political office would be. "Oh god, the lowest one that has the least amount of responsibility," he joked. "I'd be an intern in the White House during the Bill Clinton era."
While heading to Washington certainly isn't in the cards for Pratt anytime soon, his plate is full with his new career as an action star. He made a major transformation for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy, which required him to adopt an almost military-grade training regimen. But, that doesn't mean he doesn't know how to let loose every once in awhile — especially for a real-life Treat Yo-Self Day. "I think Treat Yo-Self Day would start with a few whiskey and waters," he said. "And then segue into listening to some Dave Matthews Band." Sign. Us. Up.