Matt Damon had turned down Star Trek

London Apr 21 (ANI): Hollywood actor Matt Damon turned down the role of Captain Kirk in Star Trek, director J.J. Abrams has revealed. Abrams revealed that Matt was his first choice for the starring role of Kirk - but he is glad to have been given the chance to subsequently hire little known actor Chris Pine.

"I actually approached Matt and we had some discussions, but everything happens for a reason. On the one hand, it would have been great to work with Matt - but at the end of the day, it was such a better move to cast the movie with unknowns," The Daily Star quoted J.J., as telling Life magazine. And Abrams is convinced that casting less known actors will help make the characters more believable.

"It is fun to discover the stars of tomorrow, but even more so, just like with the first Star Wars, you didn't know who those people were when you saw the movie. You believed that guy was Luke Skywalker. You didn't recognise him from six other movies. You bought into who this guy was. It is a slippery slope when you cast any actor that is somewhat known. We weren't beholden to any fame meter," J.J. Added. Star Trek is due for release next month.