Given that “Star Trek Beyond” was an extremely rough experience for Justin Lin due to other behind-the-scenes issues, a black eye on Captain Kirk wasn’t a problem. The filmmaker took Chris Pine’s surprise injury in stride, which is the least he could do, given that he might have nudged his star to get a little rough. “This cast goes all out, and I like to challenge them. We were shooting this third-act fight, and I kept pushing to get the right angle, to the point where Chris just got hit,” Lin told The Hollywood Reporter. It comes with the territory; strange new worlds are explored, new civilizations are discovered, and heroic captains sometimes walk away with a bump or two that will send them to sickbay.
Thankfully, the stars aligned and the issue was organically incorporated into the film. Lin explained, “Continuity-wise, it worked out. That black eye played so well in the rest of the movie.” Danger averted, Captain? It certainly seems so, and Pine was happy with the outcome.
Speaking to People about the (ahem) close encounter with Idris Elba, the Enterprise captain was pretty chill about it. “He gave me a black eye, and that was fun, and we used that. He’s a big guy, and we tussled and threw some fake punches. All in a day’s work.”
To read more about “Star Trek Beyond,” check out the ending of “Star Trek Beyond” explained.
