Anna Faris Says She & Chris Pratt Were Trying To “Protect The Image” Of Their Marriage Before They Split

When Anna Faris and Chris Pratt announced that they were going their separate ways in 2017, the news came as a shock because the world had only known them to be a picture-perfect, happy couple. However, new comments from the House Bunny actress reveal that pre-split, Faris and Pratt had been more concerned with looking happy together than actually being happy together.

In 2017, Faris and Pratt broke the news of their separation via a heartfelt message shared on Instagram, writing that they had "tried hard for a long time" and were "really disappointed" by the end result of their relationship. The breakup was a surprise to everyone looking in from the outside because they stars had long been considered Hollywood couple goals, but for Faris, the writing had been on the wall for quite some time.

In a new episode of her podcast Anna Faris Is Unqualified, the actress opened up to guest star Rachel Bilson (who ironically also dated Pratt's character on a couple episodes of The O.C.) about the emotional turmoil that led up to her divorce. Looking back, Faris said, there were some big issues in her relationship that she hadn't taken the time to sort out.

"For me, I think after every breakup, at some point I realize that there were a lot of things I ignored that I really shouldn't have," she shared candidly. "In hindsight, it felt like my hand was forced. I don't think it was ever an independent decision." 

Part of Faris' inability to address her problems in her relationship likely stemmed from her self-imposed isolation. On the podcast, Faris admitted to not having a close group of friends around her during the tumultuous years of her marriage to keep her accountable and to help her flesh out her feelings. As a result, she didn't feel comfortable being honest about the ways her relationship was going wrong and just played the part of the happy wife instead.

"I think it stunted me in a lot of ways," Faris explained. "One of them being that I never talked about any issues, so to the people, even who I was closest to, I'm sure things were more transparent with my relationship with [ex-husband Ben Indra], but with Chris, I think that we both protected that imagery even within our close circles."

It's not the first time that Faris has alluded to her marriage being rocky behind closed doors. Even before she and Pratt announced their separation, she hinted that their relationship was somewhat "tricky" because of their very public personas.

"I don't think that's something, when you're an actor, that you're prepared for," Faris told People just one month before her separation. "There are two different roles that you play — the one on-camera and the one in public. That's the tricky part."

Fortunately, it looks like both Faris and Pratt are taking the hard lessons learned from their marriage because they're both fully moved on and in new serious relationships; Faris is newly engaged to cinematographer Michael Barrett, and Pratt just welcomed a new baby with his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger. The exes' new romances are notably more private and under the radar, which might actually be a secret ingredient to keeping a Hollywood relationship in tact — if you don't tell the world about your personal life, you don't have keep up any facades since no one knows what you're up to.