'Guardians of the Galaxy' star Chris Pratt says being criticized for his faith is 'nothing new'

Movie star Chris Pratt will not apologize for being a man of faith, acknowledging that the scrutiny he has received in the past for being outspoken in his beliefs is not of concern.

While at a screening for his upcoming film "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," Pratt shared that the criticism he has received isn't unique. 

"That’s nothing new, that’s nothing new, you know," he told Page Six, before quoting Scripture. 

"If I was of this world, they would love me just like that but as it is, I’ve chosen out of this world. That’s John 15: 18 through 20," he said.

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"That’s the way it is, nothing new, 2,000 years ago they hated him, too," he noted of Jesus Christ. 

Ahead of resuming his role as Star-Lord in the Marvel franchise, many people were calling for Pratt to be replaced, likely due in part to rumors from 2019 that he attended an anti-LGBTQ+ church.

Responding to speculation at the time on his Instagram story, Pratt wrote in part, "It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which 'hates a certain group of people' and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ.' Nothing could be further from the truth. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone."

"My faith is important to me but no church defines me or my life," he added.

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Last month, the director of "Guardians of the Galaxy," James Gunn rushed to Pratt's defense, saying he would never replace the actor due to "utterly false beliefs" of the public, in a since deleted tweet.

"For what?" Gunn responded to a user suggesting Pratt be recast. "Because of your made-up, utterly-false beliefs about him? For something that someone else told you about him that’s not true? Chris Pratt would never be replaced as Star-Lord but, if he ever was, we would all be going with him."

The criticism has yet to penetrate Pratt, as the star's newest movie came out this weekend.

When it comes to handling the haters, Pratt says it's like anything else, "Like a rhino, stick your head down, you keep driving forward, you have thick skin and if anyone gets in your way, you stick the horn right up their a--!"

Social media, TV hosts mock curvy mermaid statue controversy: 'What's the problem?'

Social media users have weighed in on the controversy over a voluptuous mermaid statue in southern Italy, and most critics are taking issue with the mermaid having both a human backside and a fishtail. 

"The debate aroused by the Mermaid is welcome, as long as it is about such issues like the freedom of artistic expression or the remains of an ancient and out-of-the-time way of looking at the female (or male) body," Adolfo Marciano, principal of the IISS Luigi Russo art high school that produced the now-famous statue, told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

The school created the statue as a way to honor Rita Levi-Montalcini, a late Italian senator and Nobel laureate, according to the Monopoli Times, which first covered the story. 

Tiziana Schiavarelli, an actor, said that local residents were right to express "some perplexity" about the statue.

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"It looks like a mermaid with two silicone breasts and, above all, a huge a-- never seen before on a mermaid. At least not any I know," Schiavarelli said, according to The Guardian. 

Whoopi Goldberg weighed in during a segment on "The View," saying "she got a booty" and ridiculing people for making such a big deal about something that is "not real."

"I don’t think kids are thinking, 'Ooh, she’s sexy,’" Goldberg said before the hosts devolved into an argument about how a mermaid can have both a backside and a fishtail.

Another host expressed surprise the controversy had occurred in Italy, which has "so much naked art all over the place." 

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A picture of the statue made a splash on social media, with most users focusing on the fact that the controversy surrounded a fictional creature. 

One social media user, posting a screenshot of The Guardian’s report, said the statue was "a disgrace" because "mermaids famously do not have human butts, the tail goes up to their hips." 

Another user mocked the controversy, saying, "Right. Of course! Mermaids are real and we know what they should look like." 

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"This statue is setting unrealistic beauty standards for mermaids everywhere!" another user wrote. 

The statue appears to be a short distance from a newly constructed children’s park, which is equipped with a swing set, a jungle gym, a slide and a circular balance board. 

Since late April, residents of the area and the larger Italian population have been debating whether the curvy mermaid statue is an appropriate art display given its proximity to the square’s park.

Another busty mermaid statue, this one in Cape Cod, similarly raised eyebrows and complaints in 2016. 

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