Arnold Schwarzenegger Was ‘Blown Away’ by Daughter’s Dating News — Cris Pratt Was Nervous to Ask Him to Marry Her

Chris Pratt knew he had found the love of his life when he met Katherine Schwarzenegger. He also understood that he had had to face her father, the famed actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he could not help his nerves. He was, however, not prepared for how well his wife's family received him.

"Passengers" actor Chris Pratt was freshly divorced from his first wife, Anna Faris when he met author and lifestyle blogger Katherine Schwarzenegger.

The pair first sparked dating rumors after being spotted out on a date in June 2018 in Santa Barbara. According to TMZ, Pratt was a total gentleman and picked his girl up at her place, driving her up the coast in his truck.

The two reportedly sat across from each other as they shared sandwiches, potato chips, and apples. And from the giggles and laughs that filled their conversations, it appeared that Pratt made Katherine happy.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AND PRATT WERE ALREADY FRIENDS

With actors, it is common for paths to cross during their filming or even during movie promotions. Thus, Pratt and his future father-in-law, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, were not entirely strangers.

Luckily, [Schwarzenegger's] initial insecure feelings soon faded, but he couldn't help but wonder how his daughter ended up marrying an actor.

If anything, they already had friendly relations long before Pratt met Katherine. When Pratt won the Best Action Performance at the MTV Movie Awards, he gave the nod to several actors he looked up to, including the "True Lies" actor, who he said inspired his acting career.

In 2015, after the release of "Jurassic World," James Corden, host of "The Late Late Show," shared a photo of a wall Pratt had signed, and the actor could not help his excitement at writing his name next to Schwarzenegger's.

Then, once the "Commando" actor saw the image, he followed it up with a tweet, expressing his excitement at his name being next to Pratt's and congratulating him on the movie's opening weekend.

What remained unknown to the legendary actor and former California governor was that he would celebrate Pratt with an entirely different sentiment in a few years — as a prospective son-in-law.

While Schwarzenegger thought Pratt was the perfect guy for Katherine due to his kindness and nice-guy persona, Schwarzenegger told Jimmy Kimmel that at first, he was blown away by the news that the two were dating.

It is common for fathers to feel protective of their daughters, and Schwarzenegger was no different. He disclosed that he initially felt insecure about Katherine dating Pratt. Luckily, his initial insecure feelings soon faded, but he couldn't help but wonder how his daughter ended up marrying an actor.

He always imagined that with Katherine growing up on set and watching her father being away from home for movies, she would have been tired of actors. It turns out she wasn't.

And when it was finally time to ask for Katherine's hand in marriage from her parents, Pratt was a bunch of nervous. Fortunately, they blessed the couple's union, and Pratt proposed soon after.

Pratt revealed the fantastic news on an Instagram post showing him in an embrace with Katherine, who wore a sparkly diamond ring on her left hand.

The duo wanted their engagement to be quiet as they tried to have their moment. Katherine even strictly told her mother, Maria Shriver, to stay mum about any details concerning the engagement.

During a light moment on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Schwarzenegger disclosed that Pratt did not invite him to the bachelor party, which in essence was Pratt's "loss" as the "Sabotage" star says he would have made everything better.

ACCEPTING PRATT INTO THE FAMILY

Initially, Schwarzenegger was insecure about Pratt marrying his daughter and would disclose his first thoughts about the news to Jimmy Kimmel. He shared:

"At first, I was like, 'Why do you have to be so competitive? Did you have to have a guy that is taller than me, bigger than me, that is doing bigger movies than me, and all of this kind of stuff that makes more money than me. What is going on here?"

However, even with that, he knew Pratt was the perfect man for Katherine as he was a great guy, and on top of being considerate of everyone else, he was kind to Katherine. But he wouldn't be letting him off that easy.

Schwarzenegger told Kimmel that Pratt was excited to have a workout with him. The "Total Recall" actor shared that Pratt's iron-pumping prowess was what he used to determine whether Pratt was worthy of his daughter. He also joked that Pratt's incline press was what did it for him and was the decision-making factor.

Pratt did not only steal Katherine's and Schwarzenegger's hearts but Shriver's too. During an interview with Hoda Kotb, he said all good things about Shriver, referring to her as a living saint. He shared that Shriver was engaged, thoughtful, warm, welcoming, and super doting on her granddaughter — Pratt and Katherine's daughter.

But besides being a wonderful mother-in-law to him, she is also one to run to his defense when things don't go right. In 2021, after Pratt and Katherine welcomed their daughter, Pratt made a post appreciating his wife for giving him a gorgeous healthy baby.

While the post carried love and genuine appreciation, some fans thought it was a jab at his ex-wife, who delivered their son prematurely, followed by a series of health complications.

The actor addressed the backlash in an interview with Men's Health saying he cried about it and was bothered by the situation. However, his mother-in-law came to his rescue, asking him not to take the backlash to heart. She wrote him:

"I love you, Chris, keep being your wonderful self, rise above the noise. Your kids love you. Your family loves you, and your wife loves you. What a beautiful life. I'm proud of you xo."

Others, including Patrick Schwarzenegger, Katherine's younger brother, asked him to forget the mean comments, reminding him what a wonderful father and husband he was.

Fellow actors such as Mark Ruffalo and James Gunn also came to his defense. Today, the ugly backlash is behind him, and he boasts a beautiful blended family and an unmatched relationship with his in-laws.