James Gunn hits back at Chris Pratt's trollers

American screenwriter James Gunn has come to the rescue of actor Chris Pratt.

The screenwriter shared his thoughts on the topic after actor Chris Pratt faced criticism for telling Kevin Smith he would pray for him following his announcement that he'd had a heart attack.

The 51-year-old director-producer took to Twitter in a series of posts where he addressed the people critiquing Pratt.

He started with, "So I just read Chris Pratt's tweet to Kevin Smith saying he would pray for him & made the mistake of reading the comments, many of which go off on Chris for saying he'd pray. I think people misunderstand the backlash against "thoughts & prayers." (thread)"

Then wrote, "2 There is nothing wrong with sending someone positive thoughts & prayers. But when this is coupled with inaction when action will benefit the situation, it's empty."

He continued, "3 If you're offering Parkland shooting survivors prayers, but are unwilling to deal with the problems of gun violence in this country in a practical way, those prayers are empty."

"4 And if you're going to offer prayers to the folks suffering in Puerto Rico, you might consider adding a link for a donation or calling on your representatives to take action, in addition to those prayers. Prayers alone will not change the world", he continued.

He went further and said, "5 But no one expects Chris Pratt to shoulder doctors out of the way and perform heart surgery on Kevin Smith. Nor does Kevin need Chris to pay his medical bills. So I think his prayers are appreciated, and about all he can do."

"6 I'm not tweeting this to defend Chris - he's a big boy and can take care of himself. But for me, personally, prayer and meditation are great boons to my life and help me navigate my way through this world, and I don't want to dissuade others who find those things useful", he said.

He wrote, "7 I honestly would not be doing what I'm doing in either my career, or in speaking out on political matters, if I wasn't led there through prayers and meditation. I feel lucky to have these tools."

Next tweet in the thread read, "8 I don't think that means YOU need to pray. I don't. There are many ways to navigate this life. Mine is only one of them. Prayer isn't for everyone but, in the face of helplessness, it's often meant as a acknowledgement that one cares (and we all care about @ThatKevinSmith)."

He concluded the thread with, "9 If I am ever sick I will gratefully accept any of your thoughts and prayers. And will not be as grateful for some random fan knocking down my doctor and performing his own brand of kick ass surgery on me. Love to you all. Have a great week."

Earlier, Pratt had tweeted a message replying to Kevin Smith's announcement of suffering from a "massive heart attack".

American actor Chris Pratt wrote, "Kevin we don't know each other too good but I have loved you since Clerks and I'm praying my ass off for you cause I believe in the healing power of prayer. Can you please pray with me people!?"

American filmmaker Kevin Smith had shared a selfie on Twitter after surviving a "massive heart attack".

The 47-year-old actor-podcaster tweeted a photo from his hospital bed just after midnight, Pacific time, on Monday.

"After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack. The Doctor who saved my life told me I had 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka "the Widow-Maker"). If I hadn't canceled show 2 to go to the hospital, I would've died tonight. But for now, I'm still above ground!", wrote Smith.

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