Chris Pratt talks about his upcoming action film ‘The Tomorrow War’

At 42, Chris Pratt has finally figured out his craft. “Acting is (expletive) embarrassing. Fighting something that is not there is particularly embarrassing. By the way, I’ve had my fair share of experience running from creatures who are not there,” said the star of “Jurassic World” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Take his new film, “The Tomorrow War,” in which it’s Pratt vs. aliens. Despite government UFO reports and strange sightings in Phoenix, Pratt offers this spoiler: No actual aliens were damaged in the making of Amazon’s new, big-budget sci-fi action drama debuting July 2. They’re all computer-generated.

“I was basically looking at Troy the stunt guy, who happens to be 7 feet tall in real life,” Pratt divulged during a Zoom call from his L.A. home. Looking fit in a fitted black shirt, he added, “Troy is this huge guy who could easily lift me and break me in half. He’s less scary in a gray leotard.”

In “The Tomorrow War,” Pratt plays Dan Forester, a family man who finds himself pulled into a future war to save the fate of humanity by using his unique ability to confront the past.

Real life is far less dangerous. Pratt is a proud new dad to baby Lyla with wife Katherine Schwarzenegger.

Review-Journal: What is your idea of an ideal Sunday.

Chris Pratt: Church. Family. A little fishing. A great sunset shared by all.

Any freakout moments on the set of “The Tomorrow War”?

I remember being on top of a glacier in Iceland. We’re fighting daylight and weather. We were also trudging through thick snow. (Director Chris McKay) and I are walking with sticks. He has the camera on his shoulder. We’re now rolling in the snow because it’s so high, and then Chris yells from a snowdrift, “This is what I (expletive) got into this for in the first place. We’re up on a glacier making a movie right now!”

You have a scene where you’re way up high, walking across a narrow beam. Yes, you’re wired up, but do you ever think, “This could be it?”

We were on wires, and you know the team will catch you if you start to fall. You won’t fall to your death, but you certainly can (be) hurt if you took a tumble. So, I’m way up there … and thinking, “Oh God, let me get a couple of chances at this without breaking anything.” I mean, the beam was as narrow as my foot.

What do you make of the movie’s theme? Can you sneak important messages into an action flick?

I heard this rule a long time ago: When you give a dog medicine, you wrap it up in hamburger, so they eat the burger and don’t know they’re having medicine. When talking to the dog you say, “It’s time for your burger.” You never say, “It’s time for your medicine.” Same goes here. In this exciting, vibrant action movie there is a message wrapped up in it that says, “We need to leave the world a better place than how we found it.” It does make you think.

Any rules for watching a big-budget action film at home on Amazon versus the movie theaters?

Just turn your phone off at home when you watch it. It will be like being in a movie theater.

You play a lot of carefree guys. But not this time — at least not at first.

I can say there is a nod to the film “It’s a Wonderful Life,” with my character even doing the “hee-haw.” Thematically, there are similarities. He’s not on a bridge trying to kill himself, but my character is not happy with his station in life.

He has daddy issues.

He’s estranged from his dad, who wasn’t around. Yet he realizes in the end that he has more in common with his father than he realized. He finally gets to a place of grace when he realizes it wasn’t easy for his father either. It’s a pivotal moment in adulthood; we all wake up and realize, “Oh wow, they’re parents, but a parent is just a kid who had a kid.”

Light bulb time.

When you realize that you can forgive your parents for any shortcomings because they didn’t live up to that God-like stature you gave them. Your kids will feel the same. They think you’re some infallible person, and that’s not true either.

What was it like working with J.K. Simmons?

We have a lot in common … me and J.K., including some incredible arms. He looks freaking jacked in this movie.

After this film, you are now known as Chris Pratt, executive producer. How did that feel?

Great, and I was grateful to be surrounded by good people. Chris McKay was so open to collaboration while he also had a clear vision. He cut his teeth in post-production and as a director of animation with the Lego films. I think the best directors come from that side. You know what you need to give yourself in the editing room.

By the way, what were you looking at when the aliens were supposed to be there on set?

I was basically looking at Troy the stunt guy. In the close-up scenes, you might look into the eyes of an actor to pull off the idea of looking into the eyes of the alien. The other actor can draw something out of you. It’s actually the most embarrassing acting you can do.

Is it better to do this opposite nothing?

It’s actually more liberating when you don’t have a prop to work with. You actually force the animators to do whatever they have to do to make their choices work. If you have no tentacles to avoid on set, you can duck and jump and scream, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I can just imagine the animator saying, “Oh great, thanks, Chris. Now I have to make that work.”

You own a place, Stillwater Ranch, in Washington state. How is farm life treating you these days?

The farm is doing really well. We had many, many, many lambs born this spring, which was pretty remarkable. All are doing well. I even have a new pair of pigs, a gift from my wife. They’re Kune pigs and are the newest members of what we call the Friendly Kingdom.

Does that mean no BLT time?

They will not become bacon. We named them Tim and Faith. No one eats Tim or Faith

A lot of little kids say they want to be Chris Pratt. Any advice?

If your kid wants to be Chris Pratt, take him or her to a farm, pet some animals, go camping and then watch a lot of action movies. And if your kid wants to be Chris Pratt, just be sensitive with that gentle heart.