Be sure to check out the interview in full over at AccessAtlanta.com

Q: Chris, even though you’ve done a lot of stage work, people are used to seeing you in action movies or romantic comedies. Was it hard for you to get into this role?
A: [Pine] When I began acting, I began doing stage, and onstage your theatrics are limited. It was by no means easy, but it’s harder to get used to doing these bigger films. Those are larger shoes to step into. This was a difficult piece, but I relished the opportunity to do something on film that I felt like I had done onstage before and to get a chance to work those muscles that oftentimes, with these bigger films, are harder to exercise. This is basically an independent movie within the studio system.

Q: The character of Sam is a bit of a jerk in the beginning. Chris, how did you approach getting into the role?
A: [Pine] I’m very protective of Sam. I never read him as the jerk many people see him as. I read him as a guy who clearly makes mistakes, and the largest is that he violates the trust of the woman who is his sister. If anyone goes into this movie judging Sam and being self-righteous, they better take a long look at how they act and how they approach people in their lives. None of us are without fault and none of us are without the ability to grow and mature.

Q: You filmed this over a year ago, but the movie is coming out while Elizabeth [Banks] has been on a roll. What was she like to work with?
A: [Pine] Elizabeth is an intelligent, focus-driven woman. You get the sense she’s been her own woman for a long time. With her being so talented, if you’re not up to the task, she can just railroad over you! But I loved sparring with her. One of my favorite scenes is at [Henry’s Tacos] because it’s a microcosmic moment for these people. There was a lot of improv and I loved doing that with Liz because she’s a great comedian.

You can check out the interview in full over at NewsDay.com

You come from a tight-knit family — actor father Robert, psychotherapist mom Anne — the total opposite of the fractured group in “People Like Us.” How do you, as an actor, manage to relate to such a situation?
There’s a fair bit of imagination involved. Even if you don’t relate specifically to this story, to that unique experience, what you do share is the source of where you come from, a family. And even if they’re around or not, everyone has a certain drama in their family, there are secrets in their family, and one of those is when you view your parents as human beings, rather than super people. That’s the resonance there.

Your dad was one of the stars of the old TV series “CHiPs,” and has been a working character actor for decades. What kind of advice did he give you when you decided to pursue an acting career?
My father leads by example; I’m the son of a working actor, a blue-collar actor. There are good years and bad years, the business is a fickle one. He stuck with it through thick and thin; I’ve seen every good and bad thing the industry has to offer. my parents were blue-collar actors . Some years we had good money, some years bad money. I had no rose-colored glasses regarding the business I was getting into.

What’s it like being part of the “Star Trek” universe? And did you really understand what you were getting into when you accepted the role of Kirk?
I don’t know if I had any sense of what I was stepping into, not being a fan when I got into the process. I watched that documentary “Trekkies” and thought, “Wow, I had no idea how the fans were so loyal and related to the world.” Because the fans loved the original actors so much, we were afraid we would not live up to their expectations. We all wanted to do well by it. But after it came out, people seemed to be pretty receptive to it. Although some people had a problem with my version of Kirk that was more rebellious than Shatner’s Kirk.

What does Chris Pine do when life gets a little uncomfortable? According to the Hollywood leading man, he cracks a joke.

“We all have our own s***,” the “People Like Us” star tells Zap2It. “You learn early on what your defense mechanisms are, and I love humor. I love joking around, and deflecting is always fun and easy. And we all do it.”

“Go to any cocktail party that’s what everybody’s doing,” he points out. “No one’s talking about anything real. But that’s human nature. What are we gonna do just go cry together and have cathartic words? It’s not gonna happen.”

The movie hits theaters July 29, and teams Pine with stars Elizabeth Banks and Michelle Pfeiffer in a drama about a complex, non-conventional family that seems to match the description of most relationships these days.

Addressing the flaws of his character, the actor says, in many ways, he’s similar to his alter-ego, particularly when all those shortcomings “hit the fan.”

“The fun of it is, these people, who’ve learned to go through life with humor and wit and sarcasm and jabs, finally all that is stripped away,” he says. “All those tools are taken away and what they’re left with is something they’re not very good at. Certainly, I’ve learned to be better about it for sure. Being absolutely present and authentic and real and just absolutely there for the other person.”

“The question actors [get asked] a lot of times – why do you like to play whatever damaged character?” he says. “Damaged characters reflect who we all our in real life, I think. I mean no one’s perfect, there’s the defining feature of growing up and maturing and becoming a better person.”

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Star Trek fans, rejoice!

The rebooted franchise’s star Chris Pine is teasing us with what to expect from J.J. Abrams‘ highly anticipated sequel flick, which just wrapped filming last month…

We cannot wait to see what Benedict Cumberbatch brings to the table with his portrayal of a new super-evil villain.

“He’s one mean dude!” Pine told us at the L.A. Film Festival premiere of People Like Us. “He’s great. Wait till people see. He’s going to knock it out of the park, I promise.”

Details are still being kept very under wraps, but Pine, 31, promises the flick will be “bigger and brighter, faster and louder on the effects side. And on the character side, these characters are all still on their journey to becoming the crew that we know and love from the original series.”

While Pine says the best part of filming was “getting back together” with his castmates like Zoe Saldana and Zachary Quinto, his least favorite part may have been having to bleach his hair for his role as James T. Kirk.

“These are not personally applied frosted tips, my friend,” he laughed about his blond highlights. “These are work-related.”

What does Pine’s model girlfriend Dominique Piek think of the dye job? He smiled, “She may be over it.”

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Check out the 2 more videos under the cut. 🙂

Chris Pine Discusses Elizabeth Banks Kicking His Butt In People Like Us