Actor Chris Pine talks about the excitement of being offered the high profile role that marks a turning point in his career.

In the latest issue of Men's Health -- on newsstands April 21 -- Pine explains how he was offered two appealing roles at the same time but could not accept both. One role called for a disgusting, chemically imbalanced detective in the type of gritty, actor-driven part he'd dreamed of. The other, of course, was Captain James T. Kirk in the sci-fi blockbuster 'Star Trek.'

In the end, the 28-year-old Pine says he felt 'Star Trek' would be more challenging, while the strung-out detective role would have been easier because he had already mentally prepared to play such a character. 'Star Trek' would be harder and he was excited with the possibility of how he would explore the role of James T. Kirk after William Shatner already dominated it.

Pine tells the magazine that even though he was sometimes overwhelmed by the enormity of the project, he was also calmed by repeatedly telling himself: "I play a make-believe captain of a make-believe spaceship."

"When I started 'Trek,'" he says, "I looked at it, and then I was climbing it, and I didn't have time for anything else but climbing the thing and getting to the top. And that's an incredible space to exist in, because there's tremendous responsibility. There's tremendous pressure. But all those just clarify your vision."

'Star Trek' is set to open in theaters on May 8.