Chris Pine isn't afraid to play gay on the big screen.
The sexy Star Trek star covers the June/July issue of Out magazine, in which he talks his on- and offscreen bromance with costar Zachary Quinto, the future of his Hollywood career and being proud of his pal for coming out.
After almost being typecast post-Princess Diaries 2, Pine recalls how his chemistry with Quinto convinced director J.J. Abrams he was right for William Shatner's former role:
"That relationship is the core of what Kirk goes through," the 32-year-old actor says of Kirk and Spock's close friendship. "The arc and the trajectory of his journey is huge, almost Greek. But it's through his relationship with Spock that he learns the greatest lessons, about loving someone to the point of being able to do away with all rules and regulations and constraints in order to save, protect and do justice to your friend."
A lesson which both men were coming to terms with offscreen after Quinto confirmed he was gay.
"It was something that I knew about Zach from the moment I met him," he recalls. "It was just who Zach was and that's that. I'm sensitive, and I don't ever want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Knowing that for Zach it was more about a career thing and that he was not comfortable at the time coming out—it was fine. It was something that we kind of tiptoed around, and I just took it as a given, because that's what he wanted."
Quinto came out in 2011 in an interview with New York magazine, and the This Means War star remembers feeling honored to call the AHS actor a friend.
"So happy for him, oh man, I thought it was rad," he admits. "It was really, really cool. He did it on his own time, on his own schedule. And Jonathan [Groff], who he's dating, is such a lovely man. He's a good guy and a great actor, and they make a fantastic couple. I couldn't have been happier for Zach."
Sounds like Pine's a pretty stand-up guy. And not only is he comfortable with his friend's homosexuality, but he's also cool with going gay for the right role.
"Right now I just want to play good roles, and if the role happens to be a gay man, that's not of any import other than is it a good story? Does it say something that's interesting?" he muses before adding. "All it really takes is the fact that the man isn't going home to his wife, but has a boyfriend at home. I think it would be a wonderful thing to see."