With many starring roles, including the “Star Trek” and “Wonder Woman” franchises, Chris Pine is obviously leading man material. But the actor recently went behind the camera for his directorial debut, “Poolman,” a comedy-mystery that he co-wrote and stars in alongside Annette Bening, DeWanda Wise, Ariana DeBose, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Danny DeVito, and more.
Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, it’s a film that Pine is exceptionally proud of, but it was savaged with negative reviews at the time (it currently sits at 19% on Rotten Tomatoes). Having recently come out via Vertical, Pine appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to discuss the film. And the subject of the negative reviews was addressed head-on.
While Pine said he “fully owned the deep hurt” of the reviews, he said the entire process of making the film, releasing it, and being rejected by critics made him feel more durable. Quoting the Latin phrase, “vigor grows from the wound,” Pine said, “Yes, there’s the hurt of the cut, of the moment, but as the scar tissue forms, as the healing process happens, you do benefit from a growth and resilience.”
Pine said the criticism was an overall “real come-to-Jesus moment for me, in terms of seeing how resilient I am.”
“It’s forced me to double down on joy,” Pine continued. “As an actor… fundamentally, it’s about play, right? What we do is essentially become children for hours a day and make-believe,” before adding, “There’s an impish quality to it that I don’t ever want to lose.”
Pine even said that despite the reviews, he still loves the movie. “After the reviews in ToroAfter all, he talks did just make a pile of sh*t,” he remembered. “So I went back and watched it, and I was like, I f*cking love this film.”
And well, kudos for that self-belief. When it comes to updates on “Star Trek 4,” Pine unfortunately doesn’t know more than we do or anything more than isn’t already public.
“I literally know costume designers that know more than I do; I have no idea,” he said before being interrupted by his dog. “The only stuff that I know about is the same stuff that you do. I heard that they’re making a movie for a younger cast, and then, I don’t know.”
The younger cast must be the one that “Andor” director Toby Haynes is making, as there has been talk of the film focusing on events before 2009’s “Star Trek.”
A younger cast could be a new detail, and/or Pine just might be inferring things. He does, after all, talk later in the podcast about being too old for many roles despite only being 44. Later on in the podcast, when asked if he has auditioned for any big genre movies— say, “Gladiator II,” the host queries— he says no because he believes he has aged out of some of those parts. Someone tell Pine that 69-year-old Denzel Washington has a major role in the movie.
There was a time when S.J. Clarkson (“Madame Web”), Noah Hawley (“Alien” series), and Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) were set to direct their respective versions of “Star Trek 4,” but none of these versions came to pass. Paramount was once so bullish on Shakman’s version being made they announced a new movie during an investor’s call without actually securing the returning cast, but that version soon fizzled out (Shakman moved on to direct Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four”).
Currently, Steve Yockey (“Flight Attendant”) is writing the latest script for “Star Trek 4,” but we’re still waiting for a new director to be named. Check out the full conversation below for more from Pine.
