Not all actors had childhood dreams of being on the big screen. Chris Pine just revealed that acting was never really a passion of his. The actor is known for his lead roles in major franchises like “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” as the titular character, Steve Trevor in “Wonder Woman,” J.J Abrams in “Star Trek,” and several others.
Pine recently stepped away from these big-name franchises to star in smaller stand-alone movies. Some of which are “The Contractor” and “All the Old Knives.” The latter was released this month.
Born into a family of actors, Pine revealed that there was little else he could do other than toeing the acting line. A line that served him well given his success as both an actor and a director in the industry.
Chris Pine Didn’t Have A Passion For Acting
Pine apparently had no previous desire of being an actor. In an interview with IndieWire, the “Wonder Woman” actor revealed that while he had a successful career in the industry, it wasn’t one he thought of while growing up.
The 41-year-old said, “I never had a passion for acting. Acting was something that seemed to pop out of nowhere and then just took over my life.” Pine added that it “seemed to be fated and made a lot of sense” at that time. This was probably referring to the number of actors in his family.
In his interview, Pine also mentioned his introduction to directing. Like acting, it wasn’t something he had planned previously. “Directing, I never had a desire to direct, really, truthfully. The idea for [my directional debut] “Poolman” started as this little pebble in a pond.
Pine Was Born Into A Family Of Actors
Pine’s family are known in the acting industry, going as far as his grandmother to his sister. The actor’s late grandmother, Anne Gwynne, was an actress and, at the time, a WWII pinup model. Robert Pine, his father, starred in “ChiPs” as Sgt. Joseph Getraer back in 1977. The crime drama series ran till 1983.
According to a 2009 interview with People, the former actor is more than impressed with his son’s decision to join the industry and his apparent success. At that time, he said, “I couldn’t be prouder. He’s an incredibly hard worker.”
Pine’s mother, Gwynne Gilford, also dabbled in acting. She was part of the cast of a 1987 He-Man film, “Masters of the Universe.” Katherine Pine, the 41-year-old’s sister, also joined the acting train.
Pine Said He Only Picked Movies He Was Interested In
Still, in his IndieWire interview, Pine discussed the rationale behind the numerous movie roles he accepted. According to the actor, he made it a habit of selecting movies he was interested in over the years.
“I go where my interest is, and my interest just so happens, in the past couple years, to have been in these smaller-ish films,” The “Star Trek” actor revealed. The “smaller-ish” movies refer to his recent projects, “All the Old Knives” and “The Contractor.”
He added, “I think there’s a clarity of purpose now that I have with my work and my life. It is very much me [choosing] because I just have a lot of things I’ve sloughed off. I just know what I want. I know what I like. I know what will work for me.”
Chris Pine’s Movie Roles
Besides his performance in franchises like “Star Trek” and “Wonder Woman,” Pine also garnered attention and critical acclaim for his roles on other more character-driven projects. His inclusion in “Hell or High Water” helped the film get a nod for the Best Picture award.
Pine’s lead role in his recent project, “All the Old Knives,” came as a result of his stellar performance in “Z for Zachariah.” The movie director was very impressed by his performance in “Z for Zachariah” and cast him in the lead role.
“The Contractor” is another recent project of Pine. In the action thriller, the actor played a discharged war veteran who accepted a job from a shady private military contractor in a bid to support his family.
