Timothy Olyphant Recalls Losing 'Star Trek' Role to Chris Pine, Calls Actor 'a Good Dude'

Olyphant said the film franchise was looking for "somebody younger" to play the role of Captain Kirk

Timothy Olyphant has no hard feelings toward Chris Pine.

The actor, 55, reflected on losing out on the role of Captain Kirk in the recent Star Trek films to Pine, 42, during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in an episode published Thursday.

“Here’s what I can tell you about Star Trek. I went in and auditioned not for Captain Kirk, but I remember reading with [director]  J.J. Abrams, and he’s just a lovely, lovely guy. And just a lovely audition process,” Olyphant said on the episode, which was recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike. “Somewhere in there, I was auditioning for Doc, he’s like, ‘I already got a guy for Doc, so I don’t need you for that, but I don’t have a Kirk.' ”

But Olyphant said as the audition process went on, it seemed they wanted “somebody younger” for the part.

“Somewhere along the line they’re like, ‘I’ve got a guy,’ ” continued the Justified star. “I believe it was one of those things where it’s like he [Abrams] might have been prepared to hire me, but they wanted somebody younger, and he [Abrams] was having a hard time finding somebody younger. And somewhere along the line, J.J. called and said, ‘I found a guy, younger, who’s really good,’ ” he added with a laugh. 

Related: Chris Pine Says 'It's Frustrating' Not Knowing Anything About Future of 'Star Trek' Movie Franchise

Olyphant went on to clarify that there is no bad blood between him and Pine and he has since met the Dungeons & Dragons star.

“I have since then met Chris Pine and I am a huge fan of him, both on- and offscreen,” he said. “I love that guy. He’s a good dude.”

He continued to host Josh Horowitz, “This sounds very show business-y, but I had the honor — we’re going to say honor — to go to the Golden Globes one year…and I spent most of the evening at the bar with Chris Pine. Just really really adored him. What a good guy. And I really like his work. He’s one of those guys who makes it look simple and easy.”

Related: 'Star Trek' '4' in Development with 'Original Cast,' Says J.J. Abrams: 'We're Thrilled'

“Auditioning sucks and the fact that I remember the audition process fondly says a lot about J.J. Abrams and what a wonderful man that guy is,” added Olyphant.

Pine starred as Captain Kirk in three Star Trek movies: 2009’s Star Trek, 2013’s Star Trek: Into Darkness and 2016’s Star Trek Beyond.

Back in March, Pine said it was “frustrating” not knowing about the future of the film franchise, which was reported to have another instalment in the works last year.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"I don't know anything," Pine told Esquire. "In Star Trek land, the actors are usually the last people to find out anything. I know costume designers that have read scripts before the actors."

He continued, "I would say it's frustrating. It doesn't really foster the greatest sense of partnership, but it's how it's always been. I love the character. I love the people. I love the franchise. But to try to change the system in which things are created –– I just can't do it. I don't have the energy."

In February 2022, J.J. Abrams, who directed the 2009 reboot and its 2013 sequel, said that the "original cast" would be returning to the movie franchise and they would begin shooting “by the end of the year."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.