How Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy felt about playing Spock again

What was your first sort of feeling when you saw yourself as Spock again for the first time?

Nimoy: Well, it was gradual, you know, because it doesn't take place in a moment. It's gradual, because the first thing they have to do, they call you up and they say, "OK, it's time to go out and make a cast of your ears." And so that's the first step. They put plaster on the ears ... to create the mold. And then you come back and look at the molding of the sculpture that they've done to create the ear tips. And then you come back when the first pair are ready, and you try them on, and you say, "Well, they should be a little bit more of this and a little bit less of that." And you gradually have to refine it. ... It's not like dropping ... a couple of eggs in the pot and boiling them. It takes time to work it out. But eventually you get to a point where you say, "Well, that looks—now we look like we can walk out and get in front of a camera."

It must have been quite a moment when you first appear as Spock on stage. Can you tell me what that was like?

Nimoy: Well, the first time was actually a test, so it wasn't really in the production. The first day that I walked out into the room where they had a camera rolling and lights and what have you, it was a test. And I was in wardrobe, which eventually became changed. The makeup. I said to J.J. when I walked in, I said, "We're a work in progress." And we weren't there yet. And I knew it, and he knew it, and the wardrobe and makeup people knew it, but we wanted to see what it looked like on film. And we went through two or three of those processes before we finally arrived at a look where he said, "OK, we've got it now. We can go to work." And then it becomes exciting. Then you get Spock walking on a stage.

Then, Leonard Nimoy spoke, and it was touching and I was surprised for some reason. I have never heard much about what kind of person he is. What I saw was him interacting with each person who came to ask a question in a very personal way, very much paying attention to them like they were the only person in the room. He seems to be a very thoughtful, intelligent and kind person. Surprised is not the right word for it; it's not like I was expecting him to be an ass or anything. It's just that he was particularly excellent.

What I did love though, one of the first questions asked (apparently written down before hand) was do you have Zachary Quntio's number, and can I have it. I think I was the only one in a room of 1500 that said WOOOT, lol.

We saw that people were going through the line and NOT getting autographs, just saying hi, and we figured there was no reason we couldn't do the same. The woman collecting money asked each person in line for said monies, and my response was "I am of the lower class and would just like to meet and greet" and she waved me through. Then, for a brief moment, I held Leonard Nimoy's hand in mine, and stole his powers. Just long enough to be uncomfortable, but not long enough for him to have to ask for it back. Just at that awkward level at which I consistently operate. I guess at least I didn't squeal "You're my faaaaaavorite!!" this time, which is progress.

“Star Trek” fans often are the punchline in the longtime image of the nerdy sci-fi obsessed fan. Nimoy acknowledges that he meets fans who are more into Spock than he is. Separating his “Star Trek” life from the rest of his busy and varied life is key, he says.

“I do compartmentalize them. I have to. I can’t mistreat the fans that love the ‘Star Trek’ stories and Spock character.”

Still, he tries to broaden the range of interests of his fans when he speaks at conventions such as ComiCon.

“I try to introduce other ideas. Sometimes they take hold.”

The actor acknowledges the enduring and strong hold Spock has on so many people. Just the day before this interview, Nimoy says he was in a New York City restaurant having lunch with his wife. The waiter, an immigrant from Bangladesh, related how he grew up watching “Star Trek” and how much the show had affected him.

Then the waiter started to cry.

When Nimoy went to pay the bill, the waiter told him another patron had also recognized him, paid Nimoy’s bill and left.

Later, when he got into a taxi cab, there was a cardboard cutout of Spock taped to the dashboard.

“This kind of stuff happens all the time,” Nimoy says.

“I think this is the last year I will do this. It’s exciting, but I think I’ve done enough of it. I’m looking forward to concentrating on my personal life.”

(...) it’s off to the set of FOX sci-fi thriller series “Fringe” where he says he’ll be filming three or four episodes over the next few weeks.

Nimoy’s scheduled visit to Vulcan finalized

Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock in the Star Trek series, will arrive in Vulcan at 2:30 p.m. on April 23, said Trish Standing, chamber president.

Local officials, including Tom Grant, the mayor of Vulcan, will get a chance to meet with Nimoy.

Shortly after, starting at around 3 p.m., Nimoy will be part of the parade, which will start at the Tourism and Trek Station and run down to the intersection on Centre Street and Third Avenue.

"We're thrilled and honoured that he'll be coming," said Dayna Dickens, Vulcan's tourism co-ordinator.

The community as a whole has been coming together to work towards getting ready for the visit, said Dickens.

"That's wonderful to see," she added.

After the parade, at around 3:30 p.m., the action will move on to the stage down town, where a few speeches are planned, followed by the unveiling of the Spock bust and Vulcan salute hand print.

Nimoy's scheduled departure is set for 4:15 p.m. His visit was made possible through coordination with the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo

Q: What else are you working on? I know you're a poet and a photographer, as well as an actor.

A: I have an exhibition opening this summer at ... the Massachusetts Museum of Arts ... of some portraits of people ... as their secret selves.

Q: Their secret selves?

A: The idea of a secret self goes back thousands of years. Greek philosopher and playwright Aristophanes had the idea that humans at one time had two heads and four arms and four legs, and became very powerful and arrogant. The gods were upset about it so they sent Zeus to solve the problem, which he did by taking a big sword and splitting everybody in two, leaving everybody the way we are, but leaving us feeling somehow incomplete. Everybody is looking for the lost part of themselves to make themselves feel whole again. So I began to explore this idea of a secret — but I have some issues with identity, don't I?

Q: You put a lot of yourself into Spock, didn't you?

A: It's as though I have an alternate ego.

Q: Would Spock be your secret self?

A: Not very secret anymore!

Q: What is your personal balance between logic and emotion?

A: (laughs for a while) That's just funny. (more raucous laughing) I've worked on that balance all the time. (more laughing)

When he joined the cast of Star Trek in the mid 60's. He says the setting was science-fiction action but it was the great stories that kept the series alive.

"That's why it's lasted so long. It's not just about ships, and chasing, and guns, and explosions. I mean we have our share of that, but there's also some very interesting ideas behind all of the episodes and they're good stories.

(...)

Nimoy now shares the role of Spock with actor Zachary Quinto who plays a younger version of the character in the new Star Trek film series. Nimoy says he's pleased with the work Quinto did with the famous character.

"It made me very proud that the character was strong enough that it could be passed onto someone else so successfully. I'm very proud of him. I'm very proud of the movie."

 

More audio at MyNorthwest.com

 

I had heard terrible things about him all around. He was unfriendly, he was a bad signer, blah blah blah. So I was prepared for the worst. I expected him to shoot me down. While he didnt put his arms out to hug me & embrace my presence at his hotel, Mr. Nimoy was willing to accomodate my quick autograph request before he was rushed away into an awaiting production vehicle.

I was plaeased to see that all the things I had been told seem to be either fabricated or outright wrong. Of course, we'll see if hes still as accomodating when he sees me for a 2nd or 3rd time.

For the last couple months, "Fringe" fans have been asking the question on whether or not their series will survive the current year and earn itself a third season.

That question has now been answered and Fox has committed to a whole third season of J.J. Abrams' bizarre and weird scientific drama ... and there will be plenty more parallel universe antics and visits from Leonard Nimoy to keep fans glued to their screens.

Nimoy: Yeah, that too, yeah. No question about it. Look, when you're on a smaller budget, you tend to stay on certain scenes longer, you tend to stay on dialogue scenes longer with the actors. You tend to stay in less sets. This picture has more sets, more action, larger [more] ships, larger experiences, larger adventures, because the appetite of the filmmakers is larger and they were given a larger budget to do it with. I think it's a wonderful movie. ... It's a very exciting film. ...

Any chance of Leonard Nimoy returning at a later date?

"I hope so, I really do. He's just such a beautiful man. He's extremely graceful and gracious. There's a presence about him that would be there whether he was Leonard Nimoy or just a man! He's got a gorgeous essense to him."