So it’s official. First Alec Baldwin, followed by Harrison Ford, then Ben Affleck for a hot minute, and now Chris Pine. The “Star Trek” star will take over the role of Jack Ryan in the first adaptation of Tom Clancy’s book series since 2002’s “The Sum of All Fears.”

Just before this confirmation dropped—courtesy of producer Mace Neufeld—MTV News spoke with Pine about the prospect of becoming Ryan on-screen. After blowing people away with his reworking of William Shatner’s iconic take on James T. Kirk, how hard could it be to make Ryan his own? No easy feat, Pine said, but undoubtedly less daunting than his “Star Trek” challenge.

“I think it’s because Mr. Shatner’s portrayal of the character was so specific, [Jack Ryan] is a different beast,” Pine explained. “If you were to poll people, I think eight out of 10 people could tell you what role Shatner made famous. I think a lot fewer people could make that specific association between those actors and Jack Ryan. As great a job as those actors did, it’s just a different deal.”

Is there one Ryan –- Baldwin in “The Hunt for Red October,” Ford in “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger” — that stands out for Pine as the finest take on this CIA superstar? “No hyperbole, I like ‘em both so much,” Pine said of the first two Ryan actors. “They’re both huge heroes of mine. But I might prefer Baldwin doing the Canteen Boy sketch on ‘SNL’ the most!”

A couple weeks after “Star Trek” opened with a $75 million first weekend and Chris Pine went from largely unknown actor to global superstar, the 29-year-old actor found himself a target of the paparazzi, who convinced there was something going on between him and “The Hills” star Audrina Patridge.

A couple weeks ago, MTV News honored Chris as one of the people we’re most thankful for in 2009, and during a wide-ranging conversation about the “Trek” franchise and the future of his career, talk inevitably turned to one thing Chris ain’t so happy about in 2009: those pesky photogs that targeted him earlier in the year.

“I certainly despise them with all my soul,” he said.

As prepared for the intrusion as he was before the blockbuster success of “Trek,” Chris admitted there’s truly no way to prepare for the reality of paps staking out your home and waiting to snap snap snap as soon as you emerge into daylight.

“In terms of the private life stuff, I understood what would or could happen because of my involvement in something so big, but you don’t really understand it until it starts happening and people are waiting outside your house,” he said. “And I live in an apartment on a busy street. It was pretty brutal when the movie first came out, and then it dies down and the paparazzi lose their interest and go after the next flavor of the day.”

For all the hassle of increased media attention on his personal life, Chris characterized the tabloid spotlight as a fair trade-off, or as he put it, “the deal with the devil you make.”

“I would say that artistically it’s been everything I wanted,” he continued.” ‘Star Trek’ has afforded me the luxury of choice in terms of what I want to do and where I want to take my career,” he said. “I don’t know how long that will last for, but certainly right now I’m enjoying that immensely.”

source: mtv.com

Star Trek’s Chris Pine was looking for a challenge. Then two of them arrived. Making the decision helped him clarify his goals — and changed his career

You’ve been great in ungreat things. Your career has had few opportunities. And then you’re offered two big jobs. Two different jobs. One is suited to your talents and ambitions; it is your vision of yourself. The other will make you gobs of money.

How can a man choose between self-satisfaction and well-being? Between two different versions of success? Two jobs, two women, two investments: It’s always like this. The two elements you most desire, split down different paths.

Chris Pine had a week to decide between the two jobs. And the 28-year-old actor agonized, because, well, the pinnacle of his career to that point had been The Princess Diaries 2. Not even the original! But now two movie studios wanted him: He could take a role as a disgusting, chemically imbalanced detective in the kind of gritty, actor-driven gig he’d dreamed of. Or he could play James T. Kirk in a Star Trek prequel. The character is uncomplicated. William Shatner already claimed it. Pine would be wearing spandex. But man, it’s a big movie. Big and career changing.

And he was afraid of choosing. He often is. We all are, with decisions like this. You look at each choice and weigh the regret of not going for it. Catch yourself the next time you do this: You aren’t looking forward because you’re too busy imagining what it’ll feel like to look backward, wondering what you should have done instead.

“I think the most dangerous word in the English language is should,” Pine says. “I should have done this. Or I should do that. Should implies responsibility. It connotes demand. Which is just not the case. Life ebbs and flows.” But he has still spent his life fighting the word. He can’t always forget it. So when the two jobs were offered, he talked it over with everyone he could, and spent a lot of time by himself, wondering what he should do.

With a worldwide box-office haul of $384 million, “Star Trek” was one of the biggest movies of the year. But more important than its cash haul was the mere fact that director J.J. Abrams pulled the franchise from the cinematic dustbin and gave it a sleek, big-budget sheen. “Trek” was finally back, and perhaps it was cooler than it’d ever been. A lot of the credit for the cool factor goes to Chris Pine, who took on the iconic role of James T. Kirk and made it his own.

We at MTV News couldn’t be more grateful that the U.S.S. Enterprise is once again patrolling outer space, which is why Abrams and Pine are two of the entertainers we’re most thankful for in 2009. In a recent chat with MTV News, both these guys reflected on the experience of making “Trek,” revealed some secrets about the project that we never knew and talked about the future of the franchise.

MTV: Congratulations, you represent two of the people we are most thankful for this year! This is the first twosome we’ve ever honored. Do you have any speeches prepared?

J.J. Abrams: Chris does.

Chris Pine: What? I will say I feel pretty honored because I know you’ve done Harrison Ford and Robert Downey Jr. and a bunch of people I really love, so thank you — this is pretty big for me.

Chris was chosen as one of the five lucky men to be featured on their own cover for the annual GQ “Man of the Year” issue! Chris is featured as “Breakout of the Year” on his magazine cover, which I cannot agree with more!

The magazine hits newsstands Monday, November 16th from what I hear, so be sure to grab you a copy quick because I’m sure they will sell fast! I know I will!

Gallery Link: Magazines / Publications > GQ Magazine ( December 2009 )

Be sure to stay tuned, I’ll have ultra high quality scans soon as well as the actual photoshoot for this issue.

“The big thing I’ve been surprised by is is how many people who weren’t fans who we were able to grab into the fold,” Pine said. “To make ‘Star Trek’ accessible to a wider audience and to a new generation of fans is a wonderful thing, and I’m looking forward to getting back into the second one.”

What’s the scoop on the new “Star Trek 2″?

“I know as much as anybody else,” Pine admitted. “They want to get stuff going for 2011 so I don’t know if that means we’ll shoot next year or what, but I haven’t heard anything one way or the other.”

Is the whole cast coming back? “As far as I know, yeah.”

All we’ve heard is that the immortal phrase “He’s dead, Jim” will probably be uttered and that “Heroes” star Greg Grunberg is pushing to play the classic ST villain Harry Mudd.

You remember Mudd, don’t you? He’s the character who let all those trilling Tribbles loose on the Enterprise.

Does this mean there will be Tribbles? We can’t wait!!

Next up for Chris is “Unstoppable,” which he starts shooting in the fall. “To be doing a movie with Denzel Washington and Tony Scott is like a kid’s dream,” he says. “I’ve watched and been a fan of both of theirs for as long as I can remember.”

Then there’s “Carriers,” which Chris  describes as “a post-apocalyptic, psychological thriller … it’s been a busy, fulfilling year.”

At the luncheon, he was accepting a check for the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. “The HFPA is making a generous grant and my sister and my mom both went to UCLA, so I’m happy to be a part of it.”

How much do we love this guy?

source

Again thanks to Jen for bringing this to my attention!

Thanks to Leeanne for bringing this to my attention!

“I’m going to struggle and try my best to search out the roles that are a little more interesting and not based on how good your tan looks and how coiffed your hair is,” Pine said on the eve of the Geffen Playhouse’s production of “Farragut North,” a tense political drama costarring Pine and “Sex and the City’s” Chris Noth, opening Wednesday.

“There’s a battle between commerce and art that I’m learning that doesn’t necessarily have to prevent you from pursuing more artistic ventures, as long as you utilize your commerce, knowing you’re using it to get more opportunities to do the smaller pet projects,” he said. “I’m so new at it, I’m just learning to navigate the waters.”

So Pine, 28, has been studying the log of such other captains of his industry as Paul Newman. He says the late actor is his role model “in terms of longevity and the good he was able to do in the world.”

Pine’s other American idols?

“George Clooney, for the conversation about commerce and art. Daniel Day-Lewis for his almost monkish pursuit of protecting artistic integrity, which I’m in sheer awe of. I would certainly love to be held in the kind of esteem he is. Sean Penn and Gary Oldman, I’ve had an acting crush on for years. I’m all over the spectrum.”

Not really, if you consider the fact that all those performers are acclaimed for their acting chops. That’s clearly a goal of Pine’s and one he thinks he can balance with blockbuster films like “Trek.” That’s why his first role after the mega popcorn movie is the dark and complicated spinmeister Stephen of Beau Willimon’s “Farragut North,” named for the Washington, D.C., subway stop near the vortex of lobbyists’ offices.

source: latimes.com

Pine, 28, costars with ” Sex and the City’s” Chris Noth as media massagers in the psychological drama inspired by Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign, which briefly claimed the energies of the playwright and recovering politico Beau Willimon. Pine plays Stephen, a wunderkind press secretary who prides himself on his ability to manipulate any situation.

At the moment, Stephen is trying to work his magic on an attractive young intern played by ” Juno’s” Olivia Thirlby, who was in the New York production’s original cast last fall. In a Geffen rehearsal room, under the watchful eye of director Doug Hughes (who also helmed the current Mark Taper Forum production of David Mamet’s “Oleanna”), Molly/Olivia has just entered to drop off an envelope for Stephen/Chris at a dingy restaurant in East Des Moines, Iowa, where he’s making calls. And now he’s trying to beguile her into sticking around for a drink.

The characters play a flirtatious game of verbal ping-pong, and then Pine suddenly mimes reeling in Thirlby as if she’s on the end of an invisible hook. Hughes is delighted. “Your silver-tongued eloquence claims another helpless victim,” he says.