Sean Gunn says his days of performing Rocket Raccoon’s on-set movements are over.
During a recent episode of The Brandon Davis Show, Gunn declared himself “retired” from the physically demanding motion-reference work he performed for Rocket across all three “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies.
“Since I’ve turned 50 a couple of years ago, I am retired from playing Rocket,” Gunn said. “Not that they’ve called. But if they did, I don’t think that I could do the motion reference anymore for Rocket. I think I’m too old.”
The actor’s comments apply to the on-set performance he provided for the animated Marvel character. Bradley Cooper supplied Rocket’s voice, while Gunn physically stood in for the small raccoon during filming.
The Rocket role took a physical toll
Gunn explained that playing Rocket required him to repeatedly compress his body into a low position, creating strain that became increasingly difficult to manage over time.
Although observers may assume that the performance was hardest on his knees, Gunn said the main problem was elsewhere.
“Everyone thinks it’s my knees, but it’s really my feet and my ankles,” he said. “I’m in a catcher’s crouch, and I’m pivoting a lot on my points of contact with the ground. I’m doing a lot of pivoting in my ankles and feet. And over the years, I think it had a little bit of an effect on my physiology.”
Gunn added that the position “hurts after a while,” underscoring why he does not believe he could return to the same type of work if another opportunity arose.
His Rocket performance stretched across the full “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie trilogy. The first film premiered in 2014, followed by “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” in 2017 and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in 2023.
Gunn also appeared on screen as Kraglin
Rocket was not Gunn’s only contribution to the Marvel projects. He also appeared on screen as Kraglin Obfonteri in all three “Guardians of the Galaxy” films.
Gunn additionally played Kraglin in “Avengers: Endgame,” “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.”
His retirement comments were specifically about the strenuous on-set work involved in physically representing Rocket. Gunn also acknowledged that no request for him to reprise that work has been made, framing the decision as his response to what he would do if he were contacted.
For Gunn, however, the effects of years spent crouching and pivoting as Rocket appear to have settled the hypothetical. As he put it, he no longer believes his feet and ankles could withstand the demands of bringing the character to life that way again.