Star Trek Into Darkness - Interview with Chris Pine
Q: Chris, how different is “Star Trek Into Darkness”
from the first one?
PINE: This one is so much faster. It’s like a bullet
train. It never stops.
Q: There is a new villain on deck in the second one,
right?
PINE: Yes. His name is John Harrison, played by the
brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch. His ability to manipulate people brings Kirk to
face his own vulnerability and his own feelings of self-doubt about whether he
can lead the crew into battle.
Q: This is the second of three planned Star Trek
movies. Do you think you could be Captain Kirk for even longer than that?
PINE: You know, I do love the franchise. But
everything depends on the script, on the story. If it’s good, sure, I am in. If
you want to do it just to have a third film, then I don’t think it’s a good
idea.
Q: Do you still feel a lot of pressure when you have
to slip into the skin of the iconic Captain Kirk?
PINE: I have to thank JJ Abrams for being the
commander in chief. He is all about the interaction of the characters, and on
set you focus on that and not so much on the pressure that might be brought
upon from the outside. So, no I didn’t feel that pressure while filming.
Q: What is it about Star Trek that fascinates you the
most?
PINE: Oh, man, there is so much. But I like the
utopian vision of different people working together for a common goal of what
we can achieve, of what we can be as human beings. It deals with the struggles
of being human, but it’s not nihilistic. It’s bright, it’s shiny, like the deck
of the Enterprise. It’s forward looking.
Q: Is it true that JJ Abrams improvises on the set a
lot?
PINE: Yes, it is. I remember one day we were about to
shoot this huge action sequence. And JJ was walking around the set looking at
everything. Then he asked for a 15 minute break and put together a shotlist
right there on the spot. I had never seen anything like it. He’s just that
amazing.
Q: How does it make you feel as an actor to be working
with a director who seems to be changing things on the fly?
PINE: You need to have a lot of trust in your
director. But with a guy like JJ who has such an incredible track record, it
was easy. He feels comfortable changing things in the moment. It’s frightening
for an actor if you want control.
Q: Are you intrigued by space travel?
PINE: I am interested in it. I have always been
fascinated by it. We will see how technology evolves. Maybe we will all do a
press junket up in space one day. That would be pretty radical.
Q: How daunting is it for you to be coming back to
this franchise?
PINE: The good news is there were four years in
between this one and the first one we made. There is a lot of comfort in that
the character is bigger than you. And you still have a life outside of this
franchise.
Q: Is it true that you think that you are more dashing
than William Shatner, the original Captain Kirk?
PINE: Those are your words; I wouldn’t dare say that
(Laughter).
Q: Do you have any influence on the look of your
character?
PINE: No, not really. Everybody wears very tight
clothes. And we had to get in shape to fit into the costumes.
Q: Have you met the original Kirk?
PINE: Yes, I met Shatner. He is a very nice man. He
did a documentary of all the captains of Star Trek. I found that he’s really,
really funny. He’s got great comedic timing. And most people mistake his humor
for shtick. And it’s not. We did the documentary, he came in, and he had five
napkins in his hand. He had scribbled notes on each one about what he wanted to
do. For his age he’s still got so much passion.
Q: How would you describe Kirk’s relationship with
Spock in this film?
PINE: They have overcome their obstacles. There is a
true friendship here. And it’s quite amazing to watch.
Q: How physical was this movie for you?
PINE: I am always in pretty good shape. I gained a lot
of weight for this. I think it was about 20 pounds of fat. In the first one
Kirk was confident and I wanted to give the sense that he was enjoying himself
a little too much, and it showed in his physical appearance. Very early on in
the film he gets beaten to the ground, and it shows fairly quickly that he is
not on top of his game early on.
Q: What surprised you the most?
PINE: A scene that takes two pages to read can take
two weeks to shoot. I always forget how long it can take to shoot a scene.
There were a lot of good action scenes in this film. And they just take so much
longer to shoot.
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