In the velvet buzz of a 2026 Golden Globes afterparty, Chris Pine looked exactly like the man the world once expected him to be—coordinated, glam, and undeniably polished alongside Keana Sky Wenger. But for those of us who have been tracking the hazy, sun-soaked trajectory of his recent years, the “real” Pine is found elsewhere: shaggy, bearded, and knee-deep in the municipal weeds of Los Angeles.
This is the era of the “Shaggy Renaissance,” a startling transformation where the man who once wore the Starfleet badge has traded the silicone “Leading Man” mold for the lived-in, eccentric uniform of a local auteur.
It started on the streets of L.A.—the long hair, the greying beard, and the infamous short-shorts. This wasn’t just a look; it was a surrender. In his directorial debut, Poolman, Pine fully inhabit’s Darren Barrenman, a hapless dreamer and amateur philosopher who cleans the pool at the Tahitian Tiki apartments with the exacting precision of a Zen monk. While Darren meditates underwater and types daily letters to Erin Brockovich about the bus schedule, Pine is actually doing something much more radical: he is jumping into the deep end of his own creative soul.
The film is a fizzy, quintessential L.A. noir, a love letter to the city that trades the cynical darkness of Chinatown for a bright-eyed, comedic twist. Pine didn’t embark on this “water heist” conspiracy alone; he brought along a luxurious trio of legends. Seeing Danny DeVito as a steadfastly unemployed filmmaker and Annette Bening as a therapist crashing city council meetings feels like a rebellion against burned-out Hollywood archetypes. Together, they navigate the Los Angeles heat, uncovering scandals that feel both municipal and out of this world.
By stepping behind the camera and shooting on 35mm film, Pine has moved beyond competition. He isn’t just an actor in a costume; he’s a filmmaker protecting his precious version of a city that often feels like a bulldozed parking lot. Darren Barrenman might be a “dope” to the council members, but to us, he is the evolution of Chris Pine—a man who realized that the most “luxurious” role he could ever play was simply himself, shaggy hair and all.