Zachary Quinto On Playing Spock And Bonding With Leonard Nimoy
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The Star Trek reboot film series is one of the very few character-driven summer blockbusters out there. While the new Star Trek Into Darkness will surely have a lot of thrilling and heart-stopping action, the crew of the USS Enterprise and their interpersonal relationships are at the heart of it. In this way, J.J. Abrams has taken a smart approach with Star Trek.
In an interview with the Huffington Post, Zachary Quinto talks about what it was like stepping into the shoes of one of the most iconic characters in pop culture history. The trick with such a task is deciding on whether you will just imitate what’s come before, or if you will try to give the character your own spin. Here’s Quinto:
[Nimoy] was very clear about wanting to hand it [the character of Spock] to somebody that he could trust and that would respect the character the same way that he did. We are very different people and we come at the experience from very different perspectives and invariably it is going to be unique to me even though it is a character he created.
Quinto and Leonard Nimoy met during the production of the first reboot film, and while they only shared one scene together, their friendship flourished. It makes sense: they’re the only two people who know what it’s like to be Spock, and all that the role carries with it. Quinto says:
I’d say getting to know Leonard was one of the biggest gifts of the experience that first time around and now having him in my life the way I do; it means the world to me that he is invested not only in me and my relationship with the character of Spock, but also me as a person and me as I relate to the world. I have learned so much from him and I value him so much, so to me [him being on set] took a lot of pressure of actually when we were making the first movie, because I felt like he was always there for me if I needed any help, advice or guidance.
When asked for his thoughts about J.J. Abrams taking on the next Star Wars film, the 35-year-old actor says he is happy for Abrams. Quinto feels it’s the right choice for the job, and a logical one, as Mr. Spock would put it. Here’s Quinto again:
I support J.J. and his pursuits and the expansion of his entertainment empire. I think he is one of the most revolutionary storytellers in the business and I think that this bold, bombastic statement on his part from a creative standpoint is going to be a huge part of a legacy to revitalize one franchise only to follow that up by revitalizing another of that scale and scope. I think it’s so impressive and I think he is a perfect choice for it. I can’t wait to watch what he does with it, I think it will be a remarkable experience.”
It’s strange that we live in an era where we can’t talk about Star Trek without bringing up Star Wars. J.J. Abrams has really bridged the two sci-fi worlds together. As Quinto puts it, “He basically has the sci-fi market cornered now, so I think that is a great place to be. In one breath I was surprised and in the next breath it made perfect sense.”
Star Trek Into Darkness will hit theaters everywhere on May 17th in IMAX 3D.
