Chris Pine felt more vulnerable as a writer and director

Chris Pine felt more vulnerable than ever as the writer and director of 'Poolman'.

The 43-year-old actor starred in, directed, wrote and produced the new comedy movie, and Chris has confessed to feeling like "a stand-up comedian on stage" during the shoot.

In an appearance on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, Chris shared: "Criticism as an actor is just a part of the game, but there’s a lot of stuff to hide behind.

"There’s the director and the writer and the release pattern … As an actor you come on set and you do your dance and you go off, and by the time the film comes out, you’ve done X amount of other projects."

'Poolman' centres on a Los Angeles pool cleaner who uncovers a water heist.

The film has been panned by some critics, but Chris hasn't allowed that to dampen his enthusiasm.

The Hollywood star shared: "I tried to make a joyful film.

"With so much joy behind it, to then be met with a fusillade of not-so-joyous stuff … the cognitive dissonance there was quite something. It’s been ultimately the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It’s forced me to double down on joy and really double down on what I love most about my job, which you kind of forget."

Meanwhile, Chris worked as a restaurant host before finding fame, and the actor recently admitted to hating the experience, acknowledging that he wasn't a "people person" at the time.

Chris - who was born in Los Angeles - told Business Insider: "I was a host at a restaurant and just hated it. Could not have hated it anymore. I was not a people person. It was all about just getting work."