Chris Pratt and his costar would call the 'Guardians' director while filming the 'Avengers' movies to 'make sure the direction was all right'

• Director James Gunn and the cast of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" spoke to THR for a cover story.
• Stars Chris Pratt and Pom Klementieff said they called Gunn while on set of the "Avengers" films.
• The actors wanted to double-check that the directions they were given were in line with Gunn's movies.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" stars Chris Pratt and Pom Klementieff reached out to trilogy director James Gunn while filming the "Avengers" movies to ensure that their characters' actions weren't straying too far from the norm. 

Gunn and multiple cast members from "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" spoke to The Hollywood Reporter's senior film writer Borys Kit and film editor Aaron Couch as part of a cover story released on Wednesday.

Gunn, who has written and directed all three "Guardians" films and the 2022 holiday special for Disney+, said that he's guarded about the characters, particularly when they're in someone else's hands. He even spoke specifically about how directors Joe and Anthony Russo handled them in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame."

"They did some things that I wouldn't have wanted," Gunn said.

It seems his actors also agree he's the true authority on the Guardians.

As Gunn told THR, Pratt and Klementieff both checked in with him while on the set of the "Avengers" movies, which Kit and Couch wrote was "to make sure the direction was all right."

"I was being given directions, and I was like, 'I think I'm going to call James,' Klementieff told the publication. 

It turns out that, even with his actors touching base with him, Gunn didn't fully agree with the heroes' characterizations. 

While he was in agreement that Pratt's character, Peter Quill/Star-Lord, would have killed Gamora at her request, per THR, he disagreed with Peter punching Thanos' face during a crucial moment. 

As a refresher, in "Avengers: Infinity War," after Star-Lord learned that Thanos killed Gamora to acquire the soul stone, his emotions took over and he attacked Thanos while the other superheroes tried to hold the villain down and remove the infinity gauntlet from his hand. 

Because of Star-Lord's rage, Thanos broke free, retained the gauntlet, and went on to wipe out half of all life with the snap of his fingers. Star-Lord's actions in that scene were divisive, with some fans defending him while others chided the character for making such a huge error. 

Pratt, Klementieff, and Gunn will team up again for the third "Guardians" film, in theaters on Friday, May 5.

The movie is expected to be an emotional conclusion for this lineup of Guardians characters, and their future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) beyond the film remains to be seen.