• Newsfeed
  • celebrity

Chris Pratt Says Being a Dad Is So Much More Awesome Than Being an Actor

2 minute read

On Friday, Chris Pratt took a break from being fun and charming and adorable to get a little more reflective and emotional. He attended the March of Dimes Celebration of Babies, where he shared the story of his son Jack, who was born prematurely.

His wife, actress Anna Faris, had Jack nine weeks early, Pratt explains, and he was just 3 pounds, 12 ounces. Of course, Pratt still managed to include humor in his touching speech. “That’s a decent-sized bass,” he joked. “Very small for a human.”

He went on to explain what fatherhood now means to him:

I’ve done all kinds of cool things as an actor — I’ve jumped out of helicopters and done some daring stunts and played baseball in a professional stadium, but none of it means anything compared to being somebody’s daddy. I made promises in that moment about what kind of dad I wanted to be and I just prayed that he’d live long enough that I could keep them.

After a month in the NICU, Jack went home. “Our Jack went from a small, helpless little squirt to a strong, smart, happy, funny, beautiful boy who loves monster trucks and ‘Daniel Tiger,’ and, believe it or not, loves vegetables,” Pratt said. “Broccoli and cherry tomatoes are his favorite foods.”

Here’s Pratt, Faris and Jack celebrating Thanksgiving this year:

We have a feeling Pratt is also a really great dad to his pug.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com