Tony McFarr, the stunt double for actor Chris Pratt in movies such as the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, passed away on May 13 at the age of 47. McFarr’s mother, Donna, reported that toxicology reports concerning his death were pending. Pratt, alongside working with McFarr on a number of movies, also played golf, drank whiskey and smoked cigars with him. He took to Instagram stories to pay tribute to McFarr, describing his friend as a “gentleman” in an emotional message.
In his tribute, Pratt also referred to McFarr’s resilience, sharing a story where he took a “nasty shot” to the head during the title sequence of Guardians 2, only to get several staples before promptly returning to work. McFarr also worked on several other movies, including Rock of Ages, Banshee, Homeland, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Hunger Games.
Last year, Pratt had offered the option of playing the lead Star-Lord character again in future Marvel projects after director James Gunn’s controversial exit. However, co-stars Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista had ruled out their return. Pratt stated that he would only continue playing Star-Lord so long as Marvel honoured what Gunn started. The actor believes it is important to honour what Gunn has done in the first three films and not simply continue with the stories to make money.
In NME’s three-star review of Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, it was noted the movie was sometimes amusing and emotionally effective but, overall, quite dark compared to previous Marvel movie offerings. With this movie being the end of the Guardians franchise, it’s clear that McFarr and his work will be missed by Pratt and film enthusiasts alike
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