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"….
All the TV work (opportunities) sprang off Star Trek. I fulfilled a lot of
dreams and fantasies. I did 'Lights, Camera, Action' …."
"I really wanted to be a working actor"
LK: "How did you approach the
character? How did you approach something which was not human?"
"In
a sense he is a very human character He had mixed feelings about things and was
trying to preserve his dignity and identity as a Vulcan. A lot of people can
identify with him.
I liked and admired him. He knows
exactly what to say and to do."
Talking
about his directing:
"It began a long time ago. I
directed plays at night".
… he talks about Night Gallery,
Vincent (van Gogh). a. o.
"Paramount wanted to have me on board, so I said I'd like to direct the
picture."

LK:
"What is so special about science fiction?"
LN: "It is very different I think. A show of ideas. A show of people,
characters. 'Less hardware, more heart' I would say."
"The chemistry of that group of actors was wonderfully successful. Always
has been and still is. We had some wonderful writing. "
About make up: "It took about an
hour and a half. For movies - because it happened on the big screen - we had to
be a bit more particular."
Voyage Home:
LK: "Who's the
guest villain?"
LN: "We do not have one, and I am proud of it. The villain is circumstances and
we will have to deal with it."
L K: "How about directing
yourself?"
LN: "It's hard and I'd rather not" (laughing) "I could do it in Star
Trek. I wouldn't want to do it again, frankly. I could do it in Star Trek
because I knew the Spock character so well. If I would be creating a new
character I'd say I rather do the one or the other."
Q&A session:
Q: "When will ST become unbelievable?"
L: "We have to dealing on a case by case basis. The picture we are shooting
is the strongest we have done so far. The picture we are dealing with is a kind
of "at home" real kind of contact film."
Q "Have you personally absorbed
any of the characteristics?"
L: "I am much more intelligent since playing Spock then I was before - and
much more humble." (laughing)
Q: "Do people kind of treat you
spockish?"
L: "Scientists as a matter of fact …"
Q: "M:I - Had you enjoyed doing
that?"
L: "I got to play an enormous variety of roles to play ..."
Q: "ST - was there a lost
episode?"
L: "There is no lost episode, the so called one is "The Cage", a
story which was later used in a double episode of the show ..."
Q: "ISO - Did you learn out of
the experiences?"
L: "Yes, I did learn a lot. Some scientific, some fantasies ..."
Q: "About the comparison of cost
of Star Trek now and earlier."
L: "It is an interesting question. I don't know how to give you a real
comparison. I think they are around 8, 9 hundred thousand Dollars or more per
episode.
Back in the sixties they were made for 165 000 Dollars a week. Now you have to
take inflation into account … "
Q: "I enjoyed the commercial you
did for Western Airlines. Why did you do the commercial in the first place?"
L: "It was my first commercial together with Bill Shatner. We had a good
time ..."
Q: "Mr. Spock's first name?"
L: "Mr. Spock's first name is "Mr." - "The only reference to
his first name I recall is an episode which includes a beautiful love scene. In
the end she said: 'You never told me your first name' and I said: 'You wouldn't
be able to pronounce it'. "
Q: "On Vincent
..."
L: "I did the final writing on it and directed it. I played the show for
150 times around the country. And I found out a lot of interesting things about
him. Not many people know that he was an epileptic."
Q: "About Gunsmoke. Did you play
a villain?
L: I don't remember whether I did do villains, I did a very sympathetic Indian
character; I did whatever I could get to make a living and to learn my craft.
…. I did a lot of Westerns in the 50ies and 60ies."
Q: "Star Trek is good quality TV
without Sex and violence."
L: "I would like to think so. A lot of the success is based on the fact
that it is a very positive show. …. A lot of interesting, positive and
provocative ideas. "
"(Referring to Star Trek) It was
very hard work. … I thought it was a very rewarding work to do."
Q: "I'd like to know whether
there is any physiological basis for the Spock pitch."
L: (laughing) "I doubt it." (Laughing) "You have to take it on
faith it works. " …
"The reason I established it was very simple: Vulcans have made a study of
the human anatomy and know exactly where the proper pressure points are and they
exude a particular kind of energy from their fingertips which, if applied to the
proper pressure points, render the human unconscious. We all know that, don't we?"
; )
Larry King: "What power you have,
you never get carried away with it."
L: "I tried to have a sense of humour."
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