Interviews: Chris Pine, Karl Urban & JJ Abrams Talk To TrekMovie At Sydney Premiere

At the Sydney premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness TrekMovie had a team on the red carpet who were able to nab some exclusive interviews with actors Chris Pine and Karl Urban as well as director JJ Abrams. Abrams talked a little Star Wars & Trek, Chris talked about Kirk’s arc and Karl talked about nerding out and more. Watch the video and read excerpts below. 

INTERVIEWS FROM STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA RED CARPET

 

JJ ABRAMS – Star Wars and Star Trek are very very different

TrekMovie:  What were the big differences between filming the 2009 Star Trek and this movie and if 3D had a big impact on where you decided to go?

JJ Abrams:  We filmed the movie knowing it would be in 3D, but we used anamorphic which means we used lenses you cannot use to shoot native in 3D. So it was all done in post but it was a pretty exciting process that converted me because I wasn’t a really big fan and actually this is pretty cool in the way that they have done it. But the biggest difference between the 2009 movie and this movie is really actors have more opinions! You know what I mean? And I had to live with it! 

TrekMovie: You have signed on to direct the new Star Wars and produce the new Star Trek. Is there going to be a point where we see you captaining both starships?

JJ Abrams:  I feel very lucky to be involved with both of these stories. They are very very different so I am not worried about any kind of overlap.

CHRIS PINE – At the end of the day James Kirk is James Kirk

TrekMovie:  You have said that Captain Kirk ‘earns’ the chair in this film. Do you that with the alternate universe, that the Kirk that is being made today will end up to be the Kirk we have seen in previous incarnations of Star Trek or has he been irrevocably changed?

Chris Pine:  I don’t know. A lot of that depends on what has been written for me in the scripts. Script is kind of my bible that I go off. As you know from TrekMovie and Anthony, I’m sure you know that JJ’s–the collective behind–the organism that is new Trek is a lot of fans and a lot of non-fans. And I think out of that, somewhere in that middle is hopefully enough for something that is pleasing to the hardcore fanbase  who know and love the series and hopefully is open and expansive enough to a whole new world.  We do the best we can and realize the love fans have for it and that is why we throw nods to what Bill [Shatner] and Leonard [Nimoy] have done.  The only way I can do my job is to bring as much of myself to bear on the character, but at the end of the day James Kirk is James Kirk. So those pillars of who the guy is have been and will always be there. He is still a young man. We will see what happens in future. 

TrekMovie: What was harder, the stunts in this movie or getting into that wetsuit?

Chris Pine:  Oh god the wetsuit! It’s getting more play than I ever expected. The wetsuit was pain if I am going to be honest–a lot of baby powder. I would say that Spock has the majority. Kirk just get’s the s–t beat out of him as usual – dangling [off things] and pulling himself up–and making a weird face whenever he is doing it. But I think for Kirk what is really the hard part is the emotional journey and having–for a guy that has always thought that he knows what is right – going from a place of total confidence to absolute doubt. And hopefully that will come through and audiences will see what for me as playing Kirk is to find Kirk at a place where he pulls himself back up and restoring that confidence.

KARL URBAN – McCoy is an altruist

TrekMovie: You are always saying ‘dammit man, I’m a doctor not a…’ Tell us something that McCoy actualli is besides a doctor. Who is the real McCoy?

Karl Urban: He’s an altruist, dammit

TrekMovie: Since you are a big fan of the original Star Trek, were there any moments in this film that you really nerded out about? Any moments when you went ‘wow.’

Karl Urban:  You constantly have moments when you find surreal and you pinch yourself and can’t believe you are a part of this. I just can’t wait to get in there and see this film…I’m going to see it tonight for the first time.

TrekMovie: Do you think that there is a big difference between this one and the last movie?

Karl Urban:  Well, basically from the response I have seen so far from those who have seen it, my expectations have risen.

Sorry no interview with Zachary, as you can see in the video below, he went by while we were talking with Chris

VIDEO

Here is the video of the three interviews. Apologies for the ambient audio.

Special thanks to Emma B for this article.


Rotae (L) and Emma on the Sydney "Into Darkness" red carpet

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AWESOME! ;-) :-)

“…The wetsuit was pain if I am going to be honest–a lot of baby powder…”
_______

(All) your efforts are greatly appreciated, sir!

Nice work, thanks for that!

Karl is really starting to look the McCoy part.

Kudos to them to be able to carry on a conversation with all that distracting noise. I suppose they are all used to it – part of the job and all that – but, as someone whose brain freezes when noise levels are much above ‘silent’, I cannot help but admire their ability to focus in such an environment.

“‘Star Wars’ and ‘Star Trek’ are very very different.” True. Also: “Star Wars” is owned by Disney/Lucasflim while “Star Trek” is owned by CBS.

The single greatest insight I glean from this is the respect these actors have for their characters, the mythology, and the fans… Not to mention that they (Mr. Pine, at least) know trekmovie and Anthony BY NAME. How COOL is that!

Great work! Look forward to watching the three videos when I get home.

…er the three interviews in ONE video, I mean.

I think I managed to spoil the main plot points of the movie for myself but it won’t hurt my excitement one bit to see this movie in a few weeks.

If what I read was true, I think it’s fun as hell, and a great twist on the original series mythology… People get a little too overboard on critiquing what they’d have done with the story and I ask them: Why not become a screenwriter then? lol

Giving a shout out to Bob Orci and Robert Kurtzman for writing what should be an incredible Star Trek film…. Fans should feel lucky we got one more let alone TWO films to the franchise. Shut up and enjoy the ride people!

@7 – first thing I noticed, too! Yay, Anthony!

I’ll echo 7 and 11 — TrekMovie is Number One!

TrekMovie represents at Australian premier! Well done!

Echoing 7, 11, and 12! Yay Trek Movie! So much work goes into this site and it can’t be easy. It’s nice that it’s recognized. :) I’ve been coming here for years now, since before the first film came out, and it’s like a second home- even if I do typically lurk. Everyone here who brings us news and interviews does a great job, IMO.

I’m with #14. Kudos Anthony and crew!

Been coming to this site for 6 years, rarely post but I visit every day. Anthony does an amazing job and if he ever comes around my neck of the woods he’ll never pay for a drink. :) It’s so cool to be a ST fan in 2013 and still have new adventures to look forward to.

Thank you, Anthony for all the relationships you’ve built and all the work you do. LLAP

@10 Well said. I’ve read the spoilers and I can’t wait to be there at midnight on opening night to see how what I read plays out on the big screen.

It is very nice that Chris Pine gave Anthony and trekmovie a shout out like that. If memory serves, just after the release of the first 9 minutes of STID preview was shown to Japanese audiences, once back in the USA, JJ Abrams invited the various STID cast members, writers, producers etc and others to a cocktail party at Bad Robot offices/headquarters(?). There Anthony met Chris Pine (along with CP’s publicist). I think that was in December 2012. Cool that Chris remembered trekmovie etc from four months’ back, especially since I figure that Chris has likely been busy with this, that and the next…

One of the TrekMovie tweets appeared on the screen inside the cinema before the movie.

Very cool, well done :D

I took that last pic thank you very much ladies :)

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It’s cool that Chris Pine mentions Anthony by name. I wonder how much he actually reads Trekmovie. Or if he actually posts on here with a fake name? heh heh

A poster by the name of C.Pine did post one comment and only one about William Shatner, which, paraphrasing, said that Shatner was a pretty great guy…