Kirk's back, and this time he's young. Star Trek's Chris Pine chats with Blockbuster.co.uk about inheriting the mantle of the great James T. Marshall Julius reports.
Stepping into the shoes of an iconic character is no mean feat for any actor, and for someone as relatively new to the fame game as
Chris Pine, playing legendary Star Trekker James Tiberius Kirk represented the challenge of a lifetime.
"It was daunting," admits Pine about following in the footsteps of TV's
William Shatner. "Mr Shatner had a way of moving around the deck of the Enterprise, which was almost balletic, specific poses that he struck in the Captain's chair which are so identifiably Kirk. He was bold and confident and funny and I was really impressed by the complexity he brought to the character."
In
J.J. Abrams' epic reboot of the long-running, futuristic franchise, simply titled
Star Trek, we head back to where it all began for Kirk and crew, following Starfleet's finest on their inaugural mission as they face off against vengeful Romulan Nero (
Eric Bana).
Though many members of the movie's enthusiastic cast were able to make a physical connection with their original counterparts, Pine didn't get to meet Shatner until long after production had ended, though they did correspond. "I wrote him a letter early on in the process and just introduced myself," says the actor. "I wanted him to know that I was not trying to usurp his status as the original Kirk and that I was just doing my best to portray a certain part of the story and character. "Shatner responded in kind, wishing Pine the best of luck, "and after the movie was released, I finally met him, in the flesh, and we shook hands. It was at a children's charity event and he was busy raising money, so I was there more to support him, in the great work that he does. But, it was great to finally meet him and I hope to have more of a chance to sit down with him, for a longer period, and actually talk to him about his experiences. "Pine, 29, describes his version of Kirk as "...an angry, brash young punk who masks an incredible amount of insecurity and fear. He came from a broken home and is searching for something to do with his life. It's clear what he wants but I think he has to contend with the tremendous shadow that his father casts over him. This film is Kirk's journey," he adds, "to harness the rage and impulsiveness of a misguided young man and transform into a focused, confident commander."
Long before shooting began on Star Trek, available now on
Blu-ray and DVD from Blockbuster.co.uk, Pine discovered that beyond the anticipated acting challenges lay far more physical demands. When the young thespian originally read the script, he reveals, he paid little attention to the action sequences, focusing instead on character development. But when he was sent to boot camp for more than a month of gruelling training, conditioning his body and learning a variety of fighting skills, Pine came to appreciate the physicality of his role.
"We had the best of the best," he recalls of the training, "but I wasn't mentally prepared. Instead of twelve hours a day thinking about a love scene or some intense dialogue-driven moment, I'd spend a whole day running, pretending to be fired upon or chased by something. I had no concept of that at first, but I soon came around and let me tell you, I hadn't sweat that much since high school!"