Thanks to "Parks and Recreation" and a few film roles here and there, Chris Pratt was slowly but surely building up his mainstream resume as an actor. But it wasn't until Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" in 2014 that Pratt became a true movie star. How did he successfully make that leap? Check out his audition for "Guardians of the Galaxy" in the video below and take note.

As you can see in his screen test with Dave Bautista, Pratt is a master at riffing. Although the framework of the scene is what we saw in the final product, Pratt used this as an opportunity to showcase some of his improvisational comedy skills. And he nailed it. Him and Drax discussing their intergalactic romantic conquests is pure gold.

"Parks and Recreation," while scripted, was known to allow its actors to respond organically to the shenanigans going on around them and allowed the cast to improv from time to time. Pratt was famously the most outgoing when these chances presented themselves. In the show's sixth season Pratt locked down "Guardians of the Galaxy" and also voiced the lead character in "The Lego Movie," both huge successes of 2014. The leading man then starred in this year's smash hit "Jurassic World," putting him atop the A-list and giving him three incredibly successful box-office pictures he can point to when going after marquee roles in the future.

His combination of action and comedy has meshed well with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and fans look forward to seeing it again in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," which is scheduled for May 5, 2017.