Posted:
10:48:07 on November 21 2001
By: Steve Krutzler
Dept: Special Features
Written by Steve Krutzler
“It’s hard to ignore me,” says William Shatner earnestly from his office in Los Angeles, indicating a keen awareness of his own celebrity. But this isn’t the exaggeration of a braggadocio, rather it’s the simple truth of an actor who has propelled himself from STAR TREK icon to American show-biz stalwart, making “William Shatner” associated as much with WILLIAM SHATNER as it is with CAPTAIN KIRK. With comedic appearances on popular network sitcoms that poke fun at his own reputation (“The Big Giant Head”), seemingly-improvised Priceline.com advertisements that saturated the public with Shatner-ism, annual STAR TREK convention bookings that leave the fans drooling, a series of Kirk-resurrected TREK novels, an IRON CHEF showdown in Las Vegas, and enough appearances on THE HOWARD STERN SHOW to qualify as a permanent bit on the program, Shatner has firmly branded himself as a larger-than-life Hollywood personality whom we just can’t get enough of.
Ironically, however, Shatner’s latest endeavor seeks to break through the actor’s resilient public persona and give insights beyond the limelight: “MIND MELD is an attempt to show a glimmer of what friendship for me is like; what certain aspects of my life have meant to me.” The video conversation between Shatner and fellow shipmate Leonard Nimoy offers fans an up close and personal look at a friendship over a decade in the making.
”Leonard and I have evolved slowly in our relationship from being really good acquaintances on the set, to not having too much to do with each other the first few years after the series was over, to gradually coming together as the movies began to bring us together,” the actor says of the relationship that allows him to call Nimoy his “best friend” throughout MIND MELD. No mention of the rumored ego trips between the two while filming THE ORIGINAL SERIES shows up here, with both men boiling such reports down to exaggerated media hype. Somewhat vaguer, however, is Shatner’s reaction to public criticism from other TREK cast members over the years, who he and Nimoy discuss distantly in MIND MELD, suggesting -- at best -- mild alienation from the rest of the cast to this day.
One event that did bring them all together again recently was the Paramount premiere of Robert Wise’s STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE – THE DIRECTOR’S EDITION. Shatner says the commotion of the 1979 Washington D.C. premiere for the film prevented much of any critical assessment about the picture then, but “having seen it again... it is a better motion picture; but still flawed,” he explains, “[it’s still] overly long, does not have a strong story that evolves and resolves, and doesn’t have much character development.”
Wise tackled THE MOTION PICTURE because he felt that the film was never properly finished and it stood as an inchoate work. Many TREK fans wonder if Shatner feels similarly about the film he co-wrote and directed, STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER.
”It’s incomplete because of lack of money and lack of political knowledge on my part,” Shatner told TrekWeb honestly. “I made a fatal compromise on my story when I accepted the suggestion by the studio that instead of it being God and the Devil, it was an alien pretending to be God and the Devil; and in an effort to retain what I thought was a good story, I made that compromise, [and] started the fatal flaw in the movie.” Even beyond the writing phase, STAR TREK V was rife with problems, but Shatner takes a lion's share of the responsibility: “I was inexperienced in adjudicating how much money to spend on the various elements of the film so when it came to the final moments, I didn’t have enough money to give it the proper production.”
Various interviews and publications by the actor/director have revealed that at least the conclusion of the film was to involve startling “rock creatures” on the surface of the planet. In addition to what many feel are inferior visual effects throughout the film, this sort of omission could easily be remedied with current computer graphics technology, as the ST:TMP DIRECTOR’S EDITION demonstrates. Shatner says Paramount hasn’t approached him to re-cut the film, but even if they did, there wouldn’t be much to work with.
”I’m sure everything can be improved, but the raw, original material is not there; it’s not as if something was left out in the making of it; it was left out in the writing of it.”
But would he welcome the opportunity to at least improve the visual effects and try to pull off an ending more in line with his original vision for the film?
”I’d have to see it again; I haven’t seen it since it was made. I would bring more objectivity years later, but the pain of not being able to do exactly what I wanted to do is still there,” he says without reservation.
While there don’t seem to be any plans to significantly revisit the only TREK film he directed, Shatner is keeping busy. Currently editing the film GROOM LAKE, the actor will appear in a new film this January entitled SHOOT OR BE SHOT, and he has another new book coming out in the spring titled I’M WORKIN’ ON THAT, I AM. All of this is part of “the chain of work that is pleasing to me,” he says, and helps him to continue to make his mark. As for those STAR TREK conventions that he was initially uninterested in being involved with, “I think of [a convention appearances] more as a performance; I try to bring new material to the event and I try to do a riff on some of the more interesting questions that I’ll receive from the audience.” Even off screen William Shatner continues to surprise and entertain us, either as Shatner the myth or Shatner the man.
Fan Questions
Jan Schliecker asks: What do you consider your most overlooked piece of acting, writing, or other work?
”[Soft chuckle]. I have a propensity to get publicity with my smart-aleck mouth; sometimes I get into trouble and sometimes I can make you laugh or cry, but it’s hard to ignore me. So only few things are overlooked. There have been some books [non-TREK] that I think have been overlooked and that need to be revisited from time to time.”
Shanok of Belgium asks: Mr. Shatner, you recently mentioned your personal conflict in coming to terms with mortality. Did this conflict play a role in your decision to resurrect James T. Kirk in your recent novel series?
“I think it was probably more in the telling of the Kirk epics than a motivation for beginning those stories. I have followed the passages of my own life and put them into basic story construction in the STAR TREK novels, so that the core of what Kirk goes through in these books is similar to what Shatner is going through in his life.”
John Kelly asks: You began your career on the stage, working with influential directors like Tyrone Guthrie. Do you miss acting on the stage, and given the right
opportunity, would you tackle another stage role?
“I think of the convention appearances that I do as a form of stage work, in that I’m on stage and there’s an audience in front of me; and the whole attempt by me, the actor, is to entertain and inform you, the audience. I think that fits the basic criteria of stage work. I am immersed in film and TV right now, so I haven’t thought seriously about going back on the stage.”
Brian Schutt asks: In my opinion, most of the “modern” Star Trek programs lack of convincing leadership at the top. Kirk was brash, passionate, aggressive and demanding – all qualities military heroes like Patton possessed. Where has the man’s man gone? Is he so politically incorrect that he can’t be portrayed on TV anymore?
”That sounds like a valid opinion to me, but I don’t know enough [about the new STAR TREK series] to express myself; if that’s your opinion, Internet reader, I’ll abide by it.”
Brad Wasson asks: Did Gene Roddenberry specify how Capt. Kirk was to be characterized or did he allow the actor to use his insight for development of the character's personality?
“I don’t recall Roddenberry giving me any specific direction, but of course I did what the writer’s asked me to do and that is a form of creating the character.”
Tom G asks: I would be interested in hearing about the techniques used in preparation for different roles. Have they changed over the years? How did preparation for Henry V differ from that of Jim Kirk, and how did that in turn differ from more recent comic roles (such as in Third Rock)?
“Everything about acting is basically the same; you look for a core element of character, you broaden that or not, using that spine to inspire the character. You have to learn the lines and be brave enough to press the envelope just a little to make the character three-dimensional.”
MIND MELD can be purchased in both DVD and VHS exclusively at WilliamShatner.com. Special thanks to William Shatner, and to Dana Archer at Creative Light Entertainment.
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