July. 2009 - Star Trek Magazine: Prepare for the Beginning
 

Prepare for the Beginning – Leonard Nimoy is Spock Prime

In the introduction it says that Leonard Nimoy would not return to Star Trek if the character of Spock was marginalized. Now, being back, he says it is like “stepping back into a well worn suit.”

LN: I had a grand time. I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. It was very comfortable and I don’t know how to account for it. I felt like a grandfather with a bunch of intelligent, evolving grandchildren watching them at work and enjoying working with them. I just felt very good doing it; I felt totally at home doing it.

My connection with the character is more in keeping with the personal development of the character, rather than the career development of the character. My sense is that the last time we saw Spock he was deep in the Romulan Empire on an ambassadorial mission. In this movie there is no direct connection to it, but I have a very strong feeling about the emotional line and that personal development of the character, which I am most comfortable discussing.

The most fascinating thing about working on this movie was not only to see all those young actor who were portraying the original Star Trek series actors, and watch them work extremely well, but also to work with  them myself as Spock from another time plane. I see them, and have a wider view of who they are and where they are going. I know more about them in a way than they know about themselves. There is a kind of omniscience about the character.

I think I found a certain peace with the character. The character I play as Spock in this movie is a character who is at peace with himself whereas as the Spock that Zachary Quinto has to play is in a condition that is prior to what we saw in the original series and not quite as evolved as he was in the original series. He is in the process of finding himself. He is putting together the building blocks of his character and that will arrive at the character that I portrayed in the original series. During the course of this particular movie he finds a peace as Spock and grows into the Spock that I portrayed in the original series.

About Zachary Quinto: I found him to be very curious, very inquisitive, very intelligent. He is a very talented actor. We had a very good time. We found each other and we were on a common page very quickly.

It struck me at the end of the scene where Spock was having his meeting with the members of the Vulcan Academy. They are determining that he should be admitted to the Academy in spite of the fact that he is not a pure Vulcan. They are making an exception in his case and therefore an allowance. He rejects the invitation, and they way that he rejects it I felt was extremely fresh and daring. It had an edge to it that surprised me – something that I would not have thought of as a choice.

I thought it was a wonderful choice of Zachary’s part, and it told me very specifically, as I referred to earlier, that the Spock in that moment is jet not the Spock I was playing in the series. He’s before that Spock: he still has something in his being that makes him respond to stimuli differently that than I would have playing the character that I was in the series.

The way he told these people and the subtext of what he was doing was a wonderful choice. He was telling them what he thought of them, and he did it in a way that was wonderful and dramatic. I was kind of startled, frankly, by the way he said “Live long and prosper!”. It was quite wonderful. Zachary is very good. I would not underestimate him for a moment. He is full of interesting ideas, intelligence and surprises. I think he could have a great career as Spock, if he wants it, it’s there for him.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there was more of that to come, and I sincerely hope so. I’m very proud to have been part of what has gone before, and I am very glad to hand it of to such a talented person and such talented people in general. All the people on the film were such fun to be with and to work with. To watch them on the screen was a delight as well as to see it come all together. There will be examinations, minutiae discussions about the differences between the original characters and these characters, the time frame and the canon, and whether the canon has been dealt with properly, or whether it has been abused … but finally I think it’s a wonderful entertaining and human film. It’s a very large film in its scope, but terribly human. I think the coming together of these characters is brilliantly handled.

The way in which McCoy contrives to get Kirk on the Enterprise, in spite of the problems that Kirk … is creating for himself – is just wonderful. The two of them work so wonderful together, they were just so wonderful to watch.

My first meeting with Kirk in the film. It’s a treat the way they find each other, and the way we work together form that moment on. The first scene with Simon Pegg as Scotty is a treat, too. My final scene with Zachary Quinto is quite remarkable, with the two Spocks coming face to face with each other.

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(About the scene with Zachary Quinto and Wynona Ryder): I thought they were wonderful, so touching, so personal. The chemistry between those people – Ben Cross, the young Spock and Amanda – were wonderful, vivid relationships.

(About Mark Lenard) :   … a good choice. I had a wonderful time with Mark. He had such a dignity and such elegance and grace. I admired him a lot, I admired the work he did. I always enjoyed working with him. I enjoyed directing him – he was very elegant and interesting and such a good actor. We had our share of good times.

(Two week of shooting were scattered throughout the five months filming schedule for the film [Star trek XI: The Future begins].

I was awestruck by everyone’s professionalism and dedication, and the understanding of the values of Star Trek.

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The character I play as Spock in this movie is a character who is at peace with himself.

(Would he agree to reprise the older Spock?) Of course, of course! If the phone rings again and it’s JJ calling to talk about another project I am more than willing to enter a discussion about it and explore it with him.

There are very few projects that could entice me now: I enjoy the photography that I do, it’s a big pat of my life, and I have a great deal of pleasure doing it, but if JJ were to call again, I would certainly pay attention.