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The actor plays the character as a young man in the eleventh instalment in the sci-fi franchise, which is produced and directed by JJ Abrams.
He told Entertainment Weekly: "I think the biggest mistake I could ever do would be to try to recreate what Mr Shatner did. There are certain qualities that Kirk has that are vital for someone who is a leader of men.
"And those qualities, I definitely wanted to take from what Mr Shatner did in the original series. But my job is to take something new, to take that and build upon it, really do my own thing. I just feel no pressure when it comes to that."
He added that he believed fans would not be disappointed by the new movie, saying: "I don't have that many credits and people are very worried that their Kirk is going to be destroyed. But I can only say that we're having a great time. JJ has been wonderful and the cast is phenomenal. I think what we're doing is very special."
Shatner has said he is disappointed that he has not been invited to make a cameo appearance in the film.
Star Trek XI is scheduled for a Boxing Day release.
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