Anna Faris Opens Up About Chris Pratt Divorce And Hollywood Scrutiny Years After Split

Anna Faris has spoken about her divorce from Chris Pratt in a rare interview, looking back on a period of her life that played out under heavy public attention.

Speaking in a new Variety interview, the 49-year-old was asked about the intense media focus on her 2018 split from the Marvel star. The former couple had married in 2009, nine years before their divorce was finalized.

Faris has not often discussed that chapter in detail, which made her answer feel more personal than a normal celebrity update. Rather than turning it into gossip, she focused on how the attention felt and how she tried to stay grounded while her private life became public.

"I was feeling sad. Sad," Faris replied.

"I do feel like I had enough gumption, enough of a core, and I have tried to be careful about how much Hollywood infiltrates, but now I've been on a spectrum of fame for 26 years, so I would be naïve to think that it hasn't shaped who I am at this point. But, f**k. The scrutiny. I'm lucky that at that time I had my podcast ['Unqualified']."

Her answer made it clear that the breakup itself was only one part of the experience. The other part was living through it while people watched, judged, and formed opinions from the outside.

Brianna Bryson/FilmMagic)

Why Faris kept the answer personal

Faris did not speak about the divorce as if she wanted to reopen old wounds. Her comments were measured, and she seemed more interested in explaining the emotional weight of that time than revisiting every detail of the split.

That matters because celebrity divorces often become flattened into headlines. For the people inside them, there are also children, careers, friendships, and daily life to deal with after the public attention fades.

In Faris’ case, the scrutiny arrived after years of fame, so she was not new to Hollywood pressure. Still, she admitted that being famous for so long had shaped her, even while she tried not to let the industry take over who she was.

Faris, who shares a teenage son named Jack with Pratt, said her podcast gave her something she needed during that painful period. It was a way to speak and connect without feeling trapped inside the usual Hollywood machine.

"I wanted, like, four people to listen and to build my own secret community," she added. "I wanted an avenue outside of Hollywood as a way to connect with people."

"The podcast helped me a lot during that time, and it made me think: I know I could be happy if I'm writing, because I've always loved that, and maybe that's an avenue to make money. I was thinking of a version of retirement. But now, I feel like the opportunities are more bountiful than they've ever been! I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude."

How her podcast helped during the split

For Faris, Unqualified was not only another work project. At that point in her life, it gave her a direct line to listeners at a time when she was dealing with a very public breakup.

That kind of outlet can matter when a person’s name is tied to headlines they cannot fully control. Faris described wanting a small community, not a giant platform, which makes the podcast sound more like a safe space than a career strategy at first.

It also gave her a way to imagine a future outside acting if she ever needed one. She said writing and connecting with people made her think about a different version of life, even though she now feels grateful for the work coming her way.

One of those newer opportunities is Faris returning as Cindy Campbell in this summer's Scary Movie reboot, a role longtime fans know her for well.

She has also spoken before about how difficult it can be when two performers are married. During a 2021 episode of Unqualified with Gwyneth Paltrow, Faris pointed to one issue that can creep into relationships between actors.

"I don't think we did a great job of eliminating competitiveness," shared Faris. "Or at least I didn't, being a proud person, and not wanting to reveal vulnerability."

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Faris and Pratt first met on the set of the comedy-drama Take Me Home Tonight, where they played love interests Wendy Franklin and Kyle Masterson.

Two years later, they married in Bali, Indonesia.

By the end of 2017, Pratt had filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for joint custody of their son, Jack.

Both have since moved on in their personal lives. Faris later found love again with cinematographer Michael Barrett, while Pratt married Katherine Schwarzenegger, the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Pratt and Schwarzenegger now share three children together: Lyla, Eloise and Ford.

Faris’ latest comments do not frame that old chapter as something she wants to relive. Instead, they show how she got through a painful split, found comfort in her own work, and kept building a life after one of her most public moments.