'I Was Not a People Person': Chris Pine Says He 'Hated' Pre-Fame Job as Restaurant Host

The food-service industry wasn't for Chris Pine.

In a conversation with Business Insider published Wednesday, May 8, the Poolman filmmaker and star recalled balancing his early roles with a job at a restaurant.

"Don't be a waiter. Actually, I was a host at a restaurant and just hated it," said Pine, 43. "Could not have hated it any more. I was not a people person. It was all about just getting work."

The actor made his film debut in 2004's The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and has since gone on to star in box-office hits like Star Trek (2009), Into the Woods (2014), the Wonder Woman films and more in the two decades since.

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

Pine, who makes his directorial debut with Poolman, recalled getting his big break with The Princess Diaries 2 oppositeAnne Hathawayduring an interview for a recen -

The Franchise Essentially Reboots with a,...

t episode ofSundayTODAY.

"I was on my little Verizon tiny flip phone, my silver one, and I got a call from my agents that I booked the job," recalled the actor in the chat with hostWillie Geist, which aired Sunday, May 5. “I pulled over onto the side of the freeway and they said, ‘You’re getting paid $65,000.’ "

For Pine, who was 23 when the rom-com sequel hit theaters, "It was like they had just told me I’d made $50 million," he told Geist, 49, adding, "It was absolutely earth-shattering.”

"I just remember distinctly knowing in that momentthat my life had changed somehow, even though $65,000 at the end of the day turned out to be about $15,000,” he continued, laughing.

Now, 20 years later, Pine directed, co-wrote andstars inPoolmanas Darren, "a native Los Angeleno who spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block and fighting to make his hometown a better place to live," according to a synopsis.

Poolman is in theaters Friday, May 10.

Related Articles

Follow Us

Michael C. Hall to Return for ‘Res,...