Chris Pratt under fire for promoting his new film with ‘insensitive’ joke about voting

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ star has previously said he did not feel ‘represented’ by either Democrats or Republicans

Chris Pratt has come under fire for promoting his new film with an “insensitive” joke about the importance of voting.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star made the joke in an Instagram caption asking his fans to vote for his Pixar movie Onward at this year’s People’s Choice Awards.

But fans believed the caption also took aim at celebrities who have urged their social media followers to vote in the forthcoming US presidential election.

“With all that’s going on in the world it is more important than ever that you vote,” Pratt wrote. “Just ask any celebrity. They will tell you. Every day. Several times a day. To vote. But me? I will tell you EXACTLY who to vote for.”

Pratt then hashtagged his film Onward, before urging his followers to vote for the film at this year’s People’s Choice Awards, which will be held on the 16 November.

“The heroes before us did not spill their blood only to have their sacrifices wasted by your apathy,” Pratt continued. “The upcoming 2020 People’s Choice Awards is the most consequential vote in the history of mankind times a million infinity.”

“Vote for #Onward for family movie of the year,” he concluded. “Or else. You WILL die. No hyperbole. Click the link in my bio. Let your voice be heard.”

Pratt’s joke somewhat backfired, with a number of his followers calling the gag “insensitive”.

“I get this is supposed to be a cute little joke but it comes off as really insensitive,” wrote one person. “The upcoming election is really important and everyone should vote and for you to try and take that and turn it into an ad for your movie is low.”

“Chris what the f*** this ain’t it,” another wrote.

Others, however, lept to Pratt’s defence.

“Geez, everyone really has lost their sense of humour,” wrote one of his fans. “No one is going out to vote just because a celebrity said so. If that's their inspiration to vote, I'm not sure they should be making any important decisions, honestly. This is just a lighthearted post and there's nothing wrong with that. No one's going to take the election less seriously because Chris Pratt posted about the People's Choice Awards.”

Chris Pratt at the 'Onward' premiere in February (Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

Pratt has declined to confirm his political preferences, but did say in 2017 that he did not feel “represented” by either Democrats or Republicans.

“I really feel there’s common ground out there that’s missed because we focus on the things that separate us,” he told Men’s Fitness. “You’re either the red state or the blue state, the left or the right. Not everything is politics. And maybe that’s something I’d want to help bridge, because I don’t feel represented by either side.”