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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Lisa McLoughlin

Chris Pine admits losing lead role on The OC over acne was 'traumatic'

Chris Pine has admitted losing out on the lead role in teen drama The OC due to acne was “traumatic”.

The Wonder Woman actor's remarks come after the show's casting director, Patrick Rush, spoke about his audition in Welcome to the OC: The Oral History book.

In the book, which was published in November, Rush disclosed that Pine ultimately wasn't selected to play Ryan Atwood because he was “experiencing really bad skin problems” that “looked insurmountable”.

The role instead was given to Ben McKenzie who starred on the show from 2003 to 2007.

While appearing on a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Pine, now 43,reflected: “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.

Ben McKenzie played Ryan Atwood in the teen drama

“I had awful skin as a teenager, and then after college, my skin started breaking out again.

“I was going out for The OC, 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 openly discuss how struggling with acne was emotionally debilitating for him during that period.

The Star Trek star added: “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.”

After host Josh Horowitz poked fun that Pine’s acting career probably would’ve taken off had he scored the role, the actor said he was left suffering a little PTSD from losing the part.He replied to the quip: “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.”

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