Hollywood superstar Chris Pratt has revealed he was living in a van in Hawaii with just $US60 ($A91) to his name before a chance encounter at a seafood chain changed his life.

Taking to Instagram, the 47-year-old opened up about his journey from homeless restaurant server to A-list celebrity.

Before landing blockbuster roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, the actor worked tables at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

“One day, the incredible Rae Dawn Chong walked into the restaurant, and naturally, I went up to her table and said, ‘Hey, you’re a movie star! What are you doing here?’” Pratt wrote.

Chong, who starred in The Color Purple, asked Pratt whether he could act.

“F**k yeah, put me in your movie!” he replied.

Chong asked for his contact details, but Pratt had to hand over a mate’s number because he did not own a phone.

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Chris Pratt has revealed he was living in a van in Hawaii with just $US60 to his name. Picture: Instagram/prattprattpratt

Rae Dawn Chong gave the Marvel star his big Hollywood break. Picture: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Days later, his friend mentioned a casting call had come through. Pratt returned the call, picked up the script and read all 120 pages three times in a row.

“My character’s name was Devon, and I remember thinking, ‘Sweet! I could totally play a Devon!’” he wrote.

After auditioning, Chong offered him the role and revealed production was based in Los Angeles.

“With about $60, a bag of clothes and some rollerblades, Rae told me they’d fly me out,” Pratt wrote.

“And I remember thinking right then and there, my life just changed forever. I’m going to be an actor.”

The low-budget horror-comedy, Cursed: Part III, released in 2000, launched his career.

“I will forever be grateful to Rae for taking a chance on a kid working at a shrimp restaurant,” he wrote.

Pratt and his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger are trying to offload their custom Pacific Palisades mansion after repeatedly slashing the asking price.

Pratt’s fortunes have changed since his van days, though his real estate ventures have run into recent headaches.

Pratt and his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, 36, are trying to offload their custom Pacific Palisades mansion after repeatedly slashing the asking price.

The couple bought the property for $US15.6m ($A22.3m) in June 2018, razing the existing home to build a six-bedroom, 7.5-bathroom megamansion in a gated community.

After initially listing the estate for $US32m ($A45m) in July 2023, the price has been cut by more than $US12m ($A18.2m) across five market stints.

It is currently advertised for $US19.99m ($A28.6m).

The couple is residing in a Montecito estate once owned by pop star Katy Perry and former fiance Orlando Bloom while work continues on their next residence.

They bought that Brentwood parcel for $US12.5 ($A17.9m) in 2023 to be near Schwarzenegger’s mother, Maria Shriver.

However, that project triggered fierce community backlash after the couple demolished the Zimmerman House, a revered 1950s mid-century modern residence.

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