An internet sleuth may have uncovered a mural painted by Chris Pratt in the nineties
Many know by now that actor Chris Pratt was first discovered while waiting tables in Maui, but new evidence may have surfaced of yet another restaurant-related anecdote from the movie star's past.
Yesterday, an Imgur user went to dinner at the quaint Omega Pizza & Pasta in Granite Falls, Washington. He noticed a large mural on the wall, with a bold artist signature in the lower right corner that read "Chris Pratt".
Upon closer inspection, the diner saw that a framed cut out from a magazine was placed purposefully above the signature.
The Imgur user, who goes by "slartibartfas," reports that the article is from a 2003 issue of Teen People, though The Observer reports it's an excerpt from Teen Vogue. It's unclear which magazine published the article based on the image alone.
In 2003, Pratt was a budding actor with a few roles under his belt.
Most famously, he was a regular on a WB (now CW) network drama called "Everwood," which ran for 4 years.
Barely legible in the blurred Imgur photo, Pratt's intro reads: "On Everwood, Chris Pratt plays lovable jock Bright Abbott, but in real life the 24-year-old is a sensitive guy who can't live without a paintbrush."
Under the header "Every Painting Is Different," Pratt discusses the mural in question.
"I've done murals in my high school gymnasium weight room," he says, "and a Greek scene on the wall of my friend's restaurant."
Though most details line up, it would have been relatively easy to write "Chris Pratt" in red paint and call Pratt the artist. But then we found even more evidence! Omega is located in Pratt's hometown, and Pratt himself tweeted out a recommendation of the restaurant to pro-football player Jimmy Graham when he was drafted to the Seattle Seahawks in March of this year.
According to the Imgur user who posted the photos, the owner of the restaurant told them that "her son and Pratt were best friends in high school, and how [Pratt] used to be the dishwasher at the restaurant." A local paper, the HeraldNet, noted in a 2014 article that Pratt and his wife, actress Anna Farris, stopped "at Omega Pizza & Pasta in Granite Falls, where the owners are longtime family friends."
As several users aptly commented on the Imgur gallery, it's only a matter of time before Omega is flooded with superfans wanting to see the art for themselves. In the meantime, we'll have to live vicariously through those lucky enough to reside in Granite Falls, Washington.
You can view the full Imgur photo gallery here.