"I went to a baseball tryout, and there were several hundred players" - When Chris Pratt opened up about almost missing out on 'Moneyball' casting

Hollywood actor Chris Pratt portrayed the role of Scott Hatteberg in the Brad Pitt-starring baseball film Moneyball. But he almost missed out on portraying the role.

The film is based on the analytical approach used by Billy Beane, who was the general manager of the Oakland Athletics during the late 1990s. In the movie, Hatteberg is one of the star signings of Beane during his time as the GM of the A's.

In an interview with Moneyline in 2011, Pratt opened up about how he went to a baseball tryout to audition for the role:

"I went to a baseball tryout, a physical audition, and there were several hundred players there. These guys were pros, literally ex-professional baseball players, both from minor and major leagues, but also foreign teams, ex-college guys. These were guys with tattoos of baseball bats on their bodies — they were real baseball players.

"We did a tryout, and that’s how they cast 95 percent of the baseball players, was just based on physical ability and the likeness to the real players in real life," he added.

Chris Pratt admitted that he almost missed out on the role in the movie that would receive widespread acclaim.

"It was definitely something that I wanted, but I was just one of a giant number of people who wanted the role," Pratt said in the interview.

"I read it and thought that it was incredible. My first audition was with (Moneyball director) Bennett Miller, and I thought it went well. I felt like we found some real moments."

Moreover, he mentioned that he was almost rejected because the casting team found him too fat and he had to lose weight to fit the role:

"Then, when I left, my agent called me and said, ‘Chris, they really thought you were good, but they think you’re too fat.’ I was like, ‘F—, really? That s**ks.

"OK, well, I can lose weight. Did you tell them I could lose weight?’ ‘Yeah, we told them. They haven’t offered it to anyone else. There’s no guarantee, but …’"

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Did Chris Pratt lose weight to get the role?

Yes, the next three months saw Chris Pratt drop 30 pounds to be eligible for the role of Scott Hatteberg.

"I just hung up the phone, and from that point on, it was about a seven-month process from that moment until the end of filming," Chris Pratt said.

"It was another three months before I found out I got the role, but in those three months, I think I dropped 30 pounds. I was bound and determined to become Scott Hatteberg, whether they cast me or not.”

Moreover, the actor admitted that the role of Scott was challenging, but his co-star, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played the role of Art Howe in Moneyball, helped him excel in the role.