Before Chris Pino was cast as James T. Kirk in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek, the director had a hard time finding the right person for the role. At a certain point, Justified star Timotheus Oliphant he was up for the role, and on a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actor looked back on that and how, even though he didn’t get the role, it was still a great experience for him!
Olyphant praised Abrams and the audition process even though the director ultimately decided to go with a “younger” actor. He said:
“Here’s what I can tell you about ‘Star Trek’: I walked in and I didn’t audition for Captain Kirk, but I remember reading with JJ Abrams and he’s just a lovely, lovely guy. And just a lovely, lovely audition process. Somewhere in there, I was auditioning for Doc, he was like, ‘I already have a boyfriend for Doc, so I don’t need you for that, but I don’t have a Kirk.’”
As you know, Karl Urban got the role of Dr. Leonard McCoy, but Abrams had not yet found his Kirk at that time. The actor went on to say:
“I think it was one of those things where it’s like they were willing to hire me, but they wanted someone younger, and [Abrams] I was having a hard time finding someone younger, and somewhere along the line, JJ called and said, ‘I’ve found a guy, younger, who’s really good.’”
Pine is 13 years younger than Olyphant. While I like Pine in the role, I still think Olyphant would have been great in the role. Olyphant went on to talk about meeting Pine after all of this, saying:
“I have since met Chris Pine and am a huge fan of his both on and off screen. I love that boy. He’s a good guy. He seems very show business, but I had the honor, let’s say the honor, of going to the Golden Globes one year… and I spent most of the night at the bar with Chris Pine. I really loved it. What a good boy. I really like his work. He’s one of those guys that makes it look simple and easy.
He went on to add, “The audition sucks, and the fact that I remember the audition process fondly speaks volumes about JJ Abrams and what a wonderful man that guy is.” Olyphant has appeared in the Star Wars franchise.
Do you think Olyphant would have made a good Captain Kirk?
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
