Chris Pine Says Losing Lead Role On 'The O.C.' Due To Acne Was 'Traumatic'
Chris Pine is reflecting on not making the cut to star in Fox’s teen drama “The O.C.” because of his skin problems.
The “Wonder Woman” star’s response comes after the hit show’s casting director, Patrick Rush, revealed in November in the “Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History” book that Pine wasn’t hired for the lead role of Ryan Atwood because he was “experiencing really bad skin problems” that “looked insurmountable.”
The role was given to Ben McKenzie who starred on the show from 2003-2007.
While appearing on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast on Thursday, Pine, now 43, opened up about suffering a “little PTSD” over the snub.
“No — I mean, it’s a part of my life. Look, do I wish…? The man didn’t have to talk about it. I mean, it’s his prerogative,” the “Star Trek” actor explained. “I had awful skin as a teenager, and then after college, my skin started breaking out again. I was going out for ‘The O.C.,’ which is a teenage melodrama. I can understand that they wanted to have pretty people doing pretty things, and bad acne is not a key [to that].”
Pine went on to speak candidly about how suffering from acne was “emotionally incapacitating” for him at that time.
“It can be kind of just like you get a pimple on your forehead. It can also be tremendously debilitating and really, seriously, emotionally incapacitating, which it was for me,” he shared.
After host Josh Horowitz poked fun that Pine’s acting career probably would’ve taken off had he scored the role, Pine replied, “I don’t want to say, ‘I’m grateful for not having landed [the part].’ I’m alright, but it is a little PTSD.”
“It’s no fun having bad skin… It was one of the most traumatic points of my life, but it is my story, man,” he added.
Watch Pine’s interview below.