ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

Chris Pratt reveals his first paycheck was $75,000. But it vanished within two months

Pratt said he blew through his first paycheck since he didn't have a lot of money growing up.
UPDATED AUG 13, 2024
Cover image source: Chris Pratt visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios | Getty Images | Photo by Jamie McCarthy
Cover image source: Chris Pratt visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios | Getty Images | Photo by Jamie McCarthy

One of the biggest movie stars who led franchises like "Jurassic Park" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" wasn't very wise with his first paycheck. In a recent episode of the radio show "Sway in the Morning," Chris Pratt shared that he spent his first big acting paycheck quickly and had to make adjustments to manage his finances after he got famous. The actor also shed light on how he grew up with little money and the importance of financial literacy in early life. 

Chris Pratt attends the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 World Premiere | Getty Images | Photo by Rich Polk
Chris Pratt attends the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 World Premiere | Getty Images | Photo by Rich Polk

When Pratt was asked if he was frugal with his first acting paycheck, the answer was a big "No!". “Oh, no. No, no. I was under the impression that I would never run out of money,” Pratt said laughing.  He then explained that his first check seemed like a lot of money to him as he had been living on very little for a long time.

Chris Pratt at SiriusXM Studios | Getty Images | Photo by Jamie McCarthy
Chris Pratt at SiriusXM Studios | Getty Images | Photo by Jamie McCarthy

"I was like ‘Are you serious? I had lived on very little money for a long time, so the first big job I got… was a TV movie. I got paid $75,000," he said. He then broke into singing his own version of George Michael's hit song, "Careless Whisper."



 

He then added that after just two months of getting paid, he was like "Where’d that money go?" Pratt revealed that he blew through his first paycheck on vacation to Hawaii, Australia, and different parts of the world. 

"I never could have possibly imagined making that amount of money. And it went very quickly," he explained. He said that he had thought of investing the money and buying a yacht at the same time.

 Actor Chris Pratt at the premiere of Marvel's
Actor Chris Pratt at the premiere of Marvel's "Guardians Of The Galaxy" | Getty Images | Photo by Kevin Winter

Pratt admitted that he was never taught financial literacy when he was young and therefore didn’t know how to manage money.

The Marvel actor explained that growing up he "never had any money". However, as life got expensive for him when he became famous, he realized he needed to come up with a plan. 

“It took a good amount of time for me to kind of stop and say, ‘All right, I gotta get wise about this," Pratt explained.

He added that he had to think about what he would do once he stopped working. How will he and his family live, will they be okay, and so on?  "So, kind of coming up with a financial literacy plan, you know, later in my life was sort of one of the steps of me growing up," he explained. 

Thus, experts also recommend that talking about money with young children has a lot of benefits as it increases chances for them to learn how to manage their money properly, once they start earning. 



 

“In an ideal world, parents would start talking with their children about money very early on," Brittany Griffin, policy and communications deputy at the Utah Office of State Treasurer told Investopedia. She further added that money management is largely behavioral and teaching kids about it at a young age helps them to start applying them in everyday life.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Not every game show host ends their respective program with those three words, which is unique.
7 hours ago
The decision drew widespread criticism on social media and it is understandable why that is the case
10 hours ago
The day could not have gone any better for the contestant who hit the jackpot on the show.
12 hours ago
The shopper then went on mission to get her stuff back in 'John Wick' style.
1 day ago
There have been several incidents of Costco products not living up to quality standards.
1 day ago
There have been several wild moments on the show but this was something else.
2 days ago
Finding a living organism in your food is the stuff of nightmares and Costco turned it into a re
2 days ago
The puzzle pretty much solved itself after the bold choice made by the contestant.
2 days ago
Pat Sajak has seen many great solves but few will ever match up to how amazing this one was.
3 days ago
Drew Carey is used to bizarre celebrations, but getting a cold shoulder wasn't something he was prepared for.
3 days ago
Costco products have been called out over quality standards multiple times in the past year.
3 days ago
There have been awkward moments on the show in the past but few can top this one.
4 days ago
Some fans believe that rising prices have forced the showrunners to settle for local destinations.
4 days ago
It's not easy to leave the host stunned into silence, but some contestants come up with unbelievable answers.
4 days ago
This was a big let down and it was evident from the host's reaction after the Bonus Round puzzle.
4 days ago
Fans also went a step ahead and suggested that White should consider hiring a new stylist.
5 days ago
The answer was so shocking that both host and contestant just stood in silence for a few seconds.
5 days ago
Drew Carey clearly has a sharp eye as he helped keep the integrity of the show intact.
5 days ago
Carey has achieved a lot in his time as the host of the show, including his co-workers' respect.
6 days ago
Ryan Seacrest has a long way to go before he can be as loved by fans as his predecessor.
6 days ago