Anna Faris and Chris Pratt aren’t your average couple in love.
Along with planning a wedding, the newly engaged actors, who both grew up in Snohomish County, are releasing buzzed-about projects this week.
Faris stars opposite Seth Rogen in “Observe and Report,” an R-rated comedy about a mall security guard that opens Friday. Pratt co-stars in “Parks and Recreation,” a new sitcom from the makers of “The Office,” premiering at 8:30 p.m. Thursday on NBC.
While the two look like a power couple in the making, for now, they’re trying to keep a low profile, focusing on work and each other.
“She’s so funny, I’m constantly laughing all the time,” Pratt, 29, said. “I guess it’s just sort of a dream relationship.”
During a phone interview from Los Angeles, Faris, 32, apologized for some background noise; she was loading the dishwasher. Faris met Pratt when they were filming “Young Americans” in 2008. They became fast friends, but didn’t start dating immediately.
“I kept trying to hook him up with girls on the set,” Faris said. “Now I’m like, ‘Don’t tell me (what happened). I just don’t want to know.’ “
The couple had some obvious connections. Pratt moved to Lake Stevens in second grade, living there through high school. Faris moved to Edmonds when she was about the same age, and attended the University of Washington. Both left for L.A. when they were college-age, and both still have family locally.
“We know where Renton is, and we know what Whidbey Island looks like, and we’ve been to Stevens Pass,” Pratt said. “It doesn’t seem like much, but it actually means a lot.”
They started dating in mid-2008, after “Young Americans” wrapped. A few months later, around Thanksgiving, Pratt popped the question over dinner in Roche Harbor, a quaint spot in the San Juan Islands.
Faris was expecting the proposal, and said yes. She loved Pratt’s grounded attitude.
“That’s not always the easiest thing to find in LA,” she said. “He still wears clothes he had in 10th grade.”
The couple try to avoid tabloid scrutiny. For instance, they kept their engagement out of the press for two months and haven’t announced a wedding date.
Admittedly, Pratt isn’t an immediate magnet for attention; he’s not Brad Pitt, despite what that leading-man jaw makes you think. His career has been building steam slowly, with recurring roles on “The O.C.” and “Everwood,” and memorable turns in “Wanted” and “Bride Wars.”
Faris is a different story. Her movies have made more than $620 million, according to movie Web site, Box Office Mojo. Her resume includes “The House Bunny” and the “Scary Movie” series. Vanity Fair has featured her in photo spreads twice, and tabloids take notice.
When Faris said she wanted a small bridal party but a full bar, blogs gave the comment a cruel twist. They said Faris needed booze to enjoy her nuptials. Some also mentioned her past divorce.
Neither Pratt nor Faris complained about the acidic attention. They know it comes with the territory, and they know how to dodge it.
“I always look so grubby all the time, in my workout clothes, no makeup,” Faris said. “I feel like I can fly under the radar. They definitely like to take pictures of the ring and stuff like that, but we have it pretty easy.”
Pratt agreed. Flashbulbs are easy to avoid. Just steer clear of certain Hollywood hot spots. And when the cameras find him, he smiles, remembering advice Faris gave him.
“If you’re nice to them,” he said, “it’s less likely they’re going to print that picture of you with your belly hanging out.”
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com
Anna Faris
Age: 32
Graduate of: Edmonds Woodway High School, Class of 1994
Career highlights: “Scary Movie” series, “The House Bunny,” hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 2008
Upcoming: “Observe and Report,” “Young Americans,” and the animated movie “Partly Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs”
Chris Pratt
Age: 29
Graduated: Lake Stevens High School, Class of 1997
Career highlights: On TV, “Everwood,” “The O.C.”; in theaters, “Wanted,” “Bride Wars”
Upcoming: TV’s “Parks and Recreation,” movies “Young Americans” and “Jennifer’s Body,” from the writer of “Juno”
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