Chris Pratt didn’t approve of the harsh jokes made about his co-star, Jim O’Heir, on Parks and Recreation. In a conversation featured in O’Heir’s new book, Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation, the two actors discussed Pratt’s concerns over the treatment of O’Heir’s character, Jerry Gergich, in the NBC sitcom.
O’Heir recalled Pratt, 45, expressing worry over the “mean” nature of some of the jokes aimed at his character. According to Variety, O’Heir asked Pratt, “I remember you saying, ‘Jimmy, you okay with these?’… Do you remember that feeling at all?”
Pratt confirmed, saying, “I do, I do.” He explained that his concern came from a place of care. “I was concerned in some of those moments because I care about you and I love you, and I knew that there were some jokes that were, like, mean. But meaner than they were funny.”
Pratt clarified, “If it’s a joke, it’s funny. But if it’s mean for the sake of being mean, well, I’m not a huge fan of mean-spirited humor, and I just wanted to check in on you.”
Pratt and O’Heir portrayed Andy Dwyer and Jerry Gergich on Parks and Rec. Jerry’s character, known for being the butt of many jokes, was often mocked by his colleagues, who even struggled to call him by the correct name.
Pratt shared a specific example from the set, recalling a moment when he spoke up about a joke that didn’t sit well with him. “There was that time you use the printer and it says something like, ‘Jerry sucks’ on a piece of paper, and I just said, ‘I don’t think that’s funny. I don’t know about it.’” He added that, while he generally went along with the humor, he sometimes felt that certain jokes crossed a line.
O’Heir expressed his gratitude, telling Pratt, “Just so you know, that meant the world to me. You checked in on me, [Amy Poehler] checked in on me, and it’s not like I expected everyone to check in on me, but the fact that you did was so special.”
“You have the biggest heart,” O’Heir added.
Parks and Recreation ran for seven seasons from 2009 to 2015. The series starred a large ensemble cast, including Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Paul Schneider, Rob Lowe, and Kathryn Hahn.
In September, some of the cast reunited at the premiere of Hahn’s Marvel series, Agatha All Along, with Hahn, Scott, Poehler, and Plaza posing for photos on the red carpet.
