Interview with William Shatner
'Tombstone? Well, I'm not going to have a tombstone. I'm going to be tossed in the air. Ashes, tossed like a salad.'
KATE FILLION | May 7, 2008 |
Q: Up Till Now, your new autobiography, is very funny.
A: I'm sure it's my co-writer, he's very funny. I'm somewhat dour.
Q: Well, you did have that reputation, but you've remade it, through self-deprecation and even self-parody. Did you change, or was it just your public image that changed?
A: We all evolve. I think what's happened the last several years is that I've become "Shatner," a sort of synthesis of these various characters I've played.
Q: Did you actively set out to rebrand yourself?
A: No, the audience synthesized it themselves. I'm not doing things with the thought, "This will change people's minds." When an actor says, "And then I showed them this side of me," I don't understand that, nor do I behave in that manner. I see an interesting project and put myself into it and don't think of the consequences. Since I don't know what you like, I can't please you, I can only please myself and hope that you will like what I've done and go with me.
Q: You started acting classes in Montreal when you were really young. Did you learn anything useful?
A: To avoid rapacious women. I learned that at the age of 6.
Q: Did you always feel you were going to be famous some day?
A: I was already famous in my family. I was the only son, and that gave me a great taste for fame. But no, I never felt destined for anything.
Q: You did a lot of light comedies when you first starting acting full-time, in Ottawa and Toronto, before going on to serious dramatic roles. Is it harder to make people laugh or cry?
Continued Below
A: If you know what you're doing, and the writing is good, neither is hard at all. But laughter is not only good for the person laughing, it's good for the person who's making you laugh.
Q: You say the first time you really felt like an actor was the night you stood in for Christopher Plummer as Henry the Fifth, at Stratford. Did —
A: Wait a minute. That's the first time I felt like an actor?
Q: Chapter one. "That was the night I knew I was an actor."
A: I think I've got to rewrite that chapter.
Q: Did you ever feel anything was beneath you as an actor?
A: Only the earth.
Q: But you poke fun at some of the projects you've done, like making a film entirely in Esperanto. Did you ever feel you were condescending while you were doing something?
A: No, I was just grateful for the job.
Q: You had a reputation among some of your Star Trek co-stars for being a stage hog. Do you think it was true?
A: No, it's not true, and in its perspective of 40 years ago, even bringing it up is amazing.
Q: But you bring it up in your book.
A: I know I do. I refer to it. But it's astonishing to me that the whole thing is still being talked about.
Q: How did you overcome your envy, when Spock became such a popular character though your character, Captain Kirk, was initially supposed to be the lead?
A: You grow out of it and see the logic.
Q: The logic of why people liked Spock?
A: That, and the illogic of fate. As you become more knowledgeable about the way things work, you can lose the negative emotions.
Q: You and Leonard Nimoy weren't close while you were doing Star Trek, but you are now. How did that happen?
A: I weaseled up to him and tried to be an amusing fellow. And he kept rebuffing me. I kept buying him meals. Then he relented and took me into his embrace.
Q: You've worked with a lot of famous actors, from Montgomery Clift and George C. Scott to Heather Locklear and Sandra Bullock. Who was the most fun to work with?
A: Leonard Nimoy and James Spader.
Q: Who was the biggest pain in the ass?
A: Leonard Nimoy. He's so intelligent, he corrects everything I say. But then, his ass has slipped, and it's not as big a pain now.
Q: At what point did you embrace the fact that you'll always be identified as Captain Kirk, rather than fighting it?
A: I don't know that that's true.
Q: So many actors identified with a particular role complain about not wanting to be remembered that way on their tombstones, but you —
A: Well, I'm not going to have a tombstone. I'm going to be tossed in the air. Ashes, tossed like a salad.
Q: At the moment, you're going full tilt though. You have a CD and a documentary about to come out.
A: The CD is already out. It's a recording of an edited version of Exodus. The magnificence of it is 350 voices in a chorale group and a 72-piece orchestra and new symphonic music and myself as narrator, and all told it's a glorious production. The documentary, Gonzo Ballet, is about the making of a ballet based on six songs from Has Been.
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