Will this film make Chris Pratt a star?

Chris Pratt, star of the expected summer blockbuster "Guardians of the Galaxy," told People that the birth of his premature son in 2012 had caused him and his wife, actress Anna Faris, to pray a great deal. "It restored my faith in God, not that it needed to be restored, but it really redefined it."

Some were surprised to learn that rapper Ja Rule, once best known for being the brash star of Murder Inc. Records, was raised by Jehovah's Witnesses, as he revealed in his memoir "Unruly: The Highs and Lows of Becoming a Man." Now Ja Rule, who was born Jeffrey Atkins, has been baptized as a Christian after "reconnecting with God" while working on the 2013 movie, "I'm In Love With a Church Girl."

Justin Bieber, who was arrested on Thursday, was raised in a Christian household by his evangelical mother. In a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, Bieber said, "I feel I have an obligation to plant little seeds with my fans. I'm not going to tell them, 'You need Jesus,' but I will say at the end of my show, 'God loves you.' "

Julia Roberts, the star of "Eat Pray Love," and countless other movies, says she and her family chant and pray at a Hindu temple. "I'm definitely a practicing Hindu," she told People in 2011.

Actress Natalie Portman was raised in a Jewish household in Long Island, New York. Now she jokes that "like, every Jewish role comes to me."

Pop star Prince became a Jehovah's Witness in 2001 and has even gone door-to-door to share his faith with others. "Sometimes people act surprised," he told The New Yorker in 2008. "But mostly they're really cool about it."

Tiger Woods repeatedly invoked his Buddhist faith during his public apology for marital infidelity in 2010. "People probably don't realize it," he said, "but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years."

Former boxer Mike Tyson told Fox News in December that he's "very grateful to be a Muslim." "Allah doesn't need me, I need Allah," said the onetime heavyweight champion.

Singer Alice Cooper always believed in Christ, but wouldn't have considered himself a Christian before giving up his rock-star lifestyle, he said in an interview with the Huffington Post.

Actor Mark Wahlberg is serious about his Catholic faith. Even so, he joked about his risque roles with CNN's Jake Tapper recently. "I hope God's a movie fan. I want to explain 'Boogie Nights' at the right time."

Former "American Idol" contestant David Archuleta went on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known as the Mormons, after his stint on the show.

Orlando Bloom joined the Soka Gakkai school of Buddhism at age 19. "It's about studying what is going on in my daily life and using that as fuel to go and live a bigger life," he told Details in 2007.

Recognized for his role in "Rush Hour," Chris Tucker said he became a born-again Christian after filming "Money Talks" in 1997. Eight years later, Tucker was arrested for speeding on a Sunday in Georgia, allegedly approaching 120 mph. He was soon released and apologized, saying he was running late to church.

Comedian Dave Chappelle, a practicing Muslim, left his highly successful show in 2005 and went on a spiritual retreat in Africa. "I don't normally talk about my religion publicly because I don't want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing," he told Time in 2005. "And I believe it is a beautiful religion if you learn it the right way."

Paula Abdul, the singer and former "American Idol" judge, told The Associated Press last year that "beyond being Jewish, I've always found myself to be very much in tune with spirituality."

Miley Cyrus was baptized in a Southern Baptist church and still calls herself a Christian though she doesn't attend church every Sunday. "People are always looking for you to do something that is non-Christian," she told Parade magazine in 2010. "But it's like, 'Dude, Christians don't live in the dark.' ... If I wear something revealing, they go, 'Well, that's not Christian.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm going to go to hell because I'm wearing a pair of really short white shorts.'"

Actress Erika Christensen defended Scientology last year after the release of a book "Going Clear," that offered a probing look at the controversial church. "[People assume] we're some kind of closed group and we're just the Hollywood religion ... and we worship rabbits. I don't actually know how many people think that," she joked in an online video.

Actor Denzel Washington may be more known for his starring role in films like "American Gangster," but he's also a devout Christian. He told GQ magazine in 2012 that he "reads the Bible every day."

Pop star Katy Perry was raised Pentecostal and once recorded on a Christian label. "I lay on my back one night and looked down at my feet, and I prayed to God. I said, 'God, will you please let me have boobs so big that I can't see my feet when I'm lying down? God answered my prayers," she told GQ magazine.

Malcolm Gladwell, the bestselling journalist, was raised among Mennonites. After writing "David and Goliath," he told Religion News Service that, " I am in the process of rediscovering my own faith again."

After Pope Francis was elected last year, television personality Mario Lopez tweeted, "Big moment for the church & for those of us who call ourselves Catholics. I hope Pope Francis comes with an open heart & open mind... #Faith."

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• Chris Pratt is being touted as the "next big thing"


• He thought he was too fat for "Guardians" lead role


• Pratt is currently filming "Jurassic World"

(CNN) -- Hollywood's A-list is a very tough club to crack, and membership is limited to stars of vast appeal with worldwide fame. Chris Pratt may soon get his invitation to join.

"I think Chris is the biggest actor in the world, it's just people don't know it yet," said James Gunn, director of the new action-adventure movie "Guardians of the Galaxy," which features Pratt in the lead role.

Pratt plays the film's wisecracking space cowboy Peter Quill (aka "Star-Lord") who is as deadly accurate with a one-liner as he is with his trusty "element gun."

"He's got that old-time charm of Gary Cooper," Gunn said. "He's got the vulnerability of a very modern actor. He's a big masculine guy that can definitely beat the crap out of any other movie star out there. ... There's nobody else out there like him."

Nobody else his age, perhaps.

An unlikely band of criminals turned heroes attempts to save the universe in Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy."

Red Carpet: 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

Dave Bautista loved 'Guardians' makeup

Zoe Saldana's heroless 'Guardians'

"We're seeing this new leading man that reminds me of someone like a Harrison Ford," said Benicio Del Toro, Pratt's co-star in "Guardians."

At 35, Pratt is slightly less than half the age of Ford (72), another actor launched to stardom by a space opera -- "Star Wars"

Pratt seems unfazed by all the fuss being made over him as Hollywood's potential Next Big Thing.

"You know, I feel like, jeez, it's been cool, it's been really cool," Pratt stammered when asked about all the attention he's receiving within the industry.

"I came to Hollywood expecting to do everything but not really knowing what that looked like," he told CNN. "So I was just as excited when I got my first commercial as I am now, you know what I mean? I have enjoyed this entire journey, the whole time I have been at this for 15 years. My enthusiasm has been turned up to 10 since about 2001 when I didn't have to be a waiter anymore."

The tables have certainly turned since Pratt was waiting tables. His early credits came via television shows including "Everwood" and "The O.C." His career got a big boost in 2009 when he was cast on the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation," playing the daft but likeable Andy Dwyer.

His movie roles were initially confined to supporting parts such as in 2009's "Jennifer's Body," 2011's "What's Your Number" (starring his wife, actress Anna Faris) and 2012's "The Five-Year Engagement."

If starring roles eluded him, it may have been that he didn't have a classic leading man's physique. According to Entertainment Weekly, the 6' 2" actor's weight in the past five years has fluctuated between 220 and 295 pounds. EW dubbed him "portly."

Pratt told the magazine he initially turned down the opportunity to audition for the Quill part in "Guardians."

"I was probably scared and thought I was too fat to play a superhero," he said.

"Guardians'" director James Gunn apparently agreed. "When (casting director) Sarah Finn first brought him up to me, I said, 'The chubby guy from "Parks and Rec"? Are you kidding me?' " Gunn said. "There was like no way."

But Pratt had already demonstrated he could lose weight and firm up for a role -- to play a professional baseball player in "Moneyball" (2011) and a Navy SEAL in "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012). And Gunn was won over by Pratt's audition.

"He came in and within 20 seconds, I knew this was our guy," Gunn said. "I just knew it in my gut."

With the role his, Pratt set about reshaping his body. According to press notes compiled by the studio, Pratt "collaborated with, and was closely monitored by, a team of trainers and nutritionists, training for four hours a day, sticking to a strict diet, taking the right supplements and vitamins, all of which he continued throughout the five-month shoot."

The results are plain to see on screen: Pratt bares his washboard abs in "Guardians" (although it must be said he's not the most muscular guy in the film; that honor would have to fall to former pro wrestler Dave Bautista, who plays the Hulk-like "Drax").

Of course it takes more than a hot bod to land on Hollywood's A-list. On screen, Pratt displays a rare ability to relate to audiences and an appealing naturalness that sets him apart from other actors. He's also been hitting all the right notes with fans lately, from french braiding an intern for "Entertainment Tonight's" hair during an interview to sharing the deeply personal story of how his son's premature birth in 2012 affected his faith.

And despite his emerging star status, he comes across as both self-assured and modest in assessing what he brought to the role and what he needed to learn.

"The comedy is something I can do," Prattt observed. "I have been honing in on that skill in 'Parks and Rec' for seven seasons. I have always prided myself in being a comedic person -- it comes kind of easily to me. ... But it would be like the suspense and the adventure stuff, like the big movie one liners, that to me -- I had a hard time wrapping my head around that. That was a challenge for me."

Pratt's stock in Hollywood looks like it will continue to rise.

He is filming "Jurassic World," expected to be a blockbuster next summer. A sequel to "The Lego Movie" appears likely (he provided the voice of the lead character, Emmet Brickowski) and Marvel has already ordered a sequel to "Guardians of the Galaxy."

For now, Pratt appears to be keeping his newfound success in perspective.

"This is just another nice exciting chapter... for me," he said. "It's exciting and I'm definitely enjoying the ride so far."