Leonard, have you seen Zach in Heroes?
NIMOY: I've seen some footage. Scary.
How do you feel about having the guy who plays a brain-eating serial killer filling the shoes of Spock?
NIMOY: It's going to be a change of character. But he's a good character actor, and that's what he's supposed to do.
When did you guys first meet?
NIMOY AND QUINTO: Today.
QUINTO: Although we've crossed paths previously. Heroes was honored by the TV Land Awards in April, and the award was presented by Leonard and Owen Wilson. We crossed paths backstage, and my audition for Spock was the next morning. So I knew it was auspicious sign.
What was it like to meet today?
QUINTO: Humbling. But to have the blessing and involvement of the man who created this iconic character — and to have him as a guide on this journey — is going to be important and valuable. I feel enormously fortunate.
J.J., since this is a ''reboot'' of Star Trek focusing on young Spock and young Kirk, why did you feel that it was important for Leonard to be in the movie?
ABRAMS: The story needed his participation for a number of reasons. One, the plot. In many ways, the story revolves around the character of Spock. Two, I think it's critical if we're going to look at reintroducing these characters — I didn't want to disrespect what had come before, for those who care about that. But we're making this movie for people who don't care about Star Trek too. This isn't about pleasing the fans, this is about making a great film. And to do that, you have to both please the fans and please the people who've never seen Star Trek. So having Leonard in the film shows that this film exists in a continuum of Trek history, as opposed to an absolute, page 1 reinvention. [Pause] Would you like longer answers? I'm unbelievable. I never stop talking.
NIMOY: They're long answers, but full respect.
ABRAMS: Now we're talking about my talking! Unbelievable!
So the story you mentioned — what can you tell us about it? Anything?
ABRAMS: We don't want to give anything away right now. But the reason I felt compelled to direct the movie was that it had such heart and the characters are spectacularly written. It's a character-first story. It's like, almost despite being Star Trek, or regardless of being Star Trek, it's a movie I want to go see.
Any advice for Zach on how to wear the ears?
NIMOY: There could be many ear jokes. For the first couple years on the show, any mention of Spock had to do with the ears — ''Spock, the pointy-eared character'' — and there were many ear jokes, including some phallic ones that I won't go into. But they went away over time. The character accumulated enough nuance and layering over the years that it went away. So it's important to remember it's not the essence of Spock. What's important is nurturing the internal life.
How would you describe Spock's internal life?
NIMOY: Struggle. He had a Vulcan father and a human mother — so there's great logic and deep emotion and a great struggle between the two poles. That's a great gift to hand an actor. It's a struggle we all go through.
NEXT PAGE: ''Look, there's no way you can please everyone. But we're going to do our best to make a great movie, and I hope fans of the series will appreciate the respect and awareness that we have of the thing they love.''
You Might Also Like
- DVD Commentary 'Star Trek': New DVD releases | Alynda Wheat
- Summer Entertainment: Photo Gallery 'Star Trek': 25 Enterprise milestones | Adam B. Vary
- Movie News 'Star Trek''s crew | Adam B. Vary
- Television News 'Star Trek': A timeline | Adam B. Vary
