Chris Pine gets candid about past struggle with acne: ‘I know how depressing it can be’

Chris Pine had to have a thick skin coming up in Hollywood amid a struggle with acne early on in his career.

In a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Pine said that he had “awful skin” as a teenager and after college and took issue with the fact that acne can sometimes be regarded as something only teenagers go through.

In his case, he said, it was “tremendously debilitating and really seriously emotionally incapacitating.”

“It was one of the most traumatic points of my life but it is my story,” he said.

READ MORE: Susan Backlinie, known for Jaws opening scene, dead aged 77

The discussion was prompted by the podcast’s host Josh Horowitz asking Pine how he felt about comments that The O.C. casting director Patrick Rush made last year in Alan Sepinwall’s 2023 book Welcome to The O.C.: The Oral History.

In it, Rush revealed that Pine read for the role of Ryan Atwood for the series, but that his “really bad skin” at the time, to Rush, was “insurmountable.”

The role of Atwood ultimately went to actor Ben McKenzie, who starred in the series during its run from 2003 to 2007.

All the best photos from the Steve Irwin Gala

Pine candidly said that he felt like Rush “didn’t have to talk about it” in the book.

“I can understand that they wanted to have pretty people doing pretty things and bad acne is not a key,” he said.

“I don’t want to say I’m grateful for not having landed that… but I’m alright.”

READ MORE: Olivia Munn had a hysterectomy amid her breast cancer battle

Pine, of course, is more than alright. He went on to have a successful career in Hollywood starring as Captain Kirk in the rebooted Star Trek franchise and appearing in critically-acclaimed films like Don’t Worry Darling and Hell or High Water.

He said will never forget the struggle he went through to get to this point.

“I know how depressing it can be and the kind of depths of sorrow it can drag you to,” he said.

“But there is a brighter day.”

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.