When nepo baby discourse blew up in 2022, Ficus feuding star Chris Pine's name was frequently brought into the conversation, since his father, Robert Pine, is a longtime actor known for his prominent role on the '70s/'80s cop drama CHiPS. Pine has now reflected on his status as a so-called nepo baby, saying that he and his family have "such a laugh about it."
Appearing on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron this week (May 6), Pine spoke about his father's work as an actor. "I get such a kick out of the 'nepo baby' thing," he said. "My family has such a laugh about it — as if people are like, 'You have to hire Robert Pine's son.'"
He went on to describe his 82-year-old father's working-class approach to the job: "My father's had great success, and he's had periods where he hasn't worked. He's had money; he hasn't had money. He's an auditioning actor, and he's been doing it since '64."
Pine did acknowledge one incident when his father's reputation helped him score a big audition — even though he didn't end up getting the part.
"This is what I will say: I got an audition very, very early on for Gilmore Girls," he recalled. "My father was in an audition that he didn't book, but the casting directors loved him and he loved the casting directors. He said, 'My son's an actor and he's coming back from Williamstown, this theatre festival back east. Will you see him?' And they said, 'Sure.' I came in, auditioned and didn't get the part. So I got a leg in — yeah, I got an audition, but you gotta show your chops."
Pine's success, meanwhile, has far surpassed that of his father's, thanks to prominent roles in the Star Trek reboot films and the Wonder Woman films. Recently, he was in the 2023 films Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Wish.