Chris Pratt says he had quit Marvel auditions before Guardians at Kevin Feige honour

Kevin Feige was honoured as Pioneer of the Year by the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation at the Beverly Hilton on Wednesday, in a night built around stories from the people he cast, The Hollywood Reporter.

The award comes from an industry charity that supports cinema workers. Feige received it as Marvel Studios president and chief creative officer, the executive who has overseen the Marvel screen universe from its start.

Chris Pratt led the tributes. He plays Star-Lord, or Peter Quill, the pilot turned space outlaw at the centre of the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Pratt thanked Feige for giving him that part when it was not obvious to others that it would work.

Pratt said he had almost talked himself out of Marvel altogether. He had auditioned without success for Captain America and for a supporting part in Thor. By the time Guardians of the Galaxy was casting, he had decided he was done auditioning for Marvel films.

That is what gives the story its edge. Casting is the studio's bet on a face before the audience has voted. Pratt got the job anyway.

Jon Favreau also spoke, about a working relationship with Feige that goes back to 2008's Iron Man, the film that launched the Marvel Studios run. Favreau directed that film and has remained a close collaborator since.

Disney's Alan Bergman was in the room alongside Pratt and Favreau. The evening stayed focused on Feige's run at the centre of that chain, from early casting calls to a shared universe that now fills release calendars years ahead.