Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto talk ‘Trek’

The MUSE got a chance to talk ‘Star Trek’ with the stars of the upcoming film. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto had a lot to say about the shoes they had to fill and the transition from a television show to film.

The MUSE: You are living up to a big legacy left behind by the original actors in your roles, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.’ Fans of ‘Star Trek’ are obviously going to be comparing the two ‘-‘- what sort of pressure did that put on you when making the film?

Zachary Quinto: I didn’t really feel that pressure because Leonard Nimoy was involved actually and he was so supportive of me from the beginning.’ I had such faith and trust in J.J. (Abrams, the director) and the creative team behind the movie.’ I chose to focus more on my task at hand, which was doing my work.’ That’s the only thing that’s in my control. So I didn’t really and I still don’t really concern myself with that stuff because I don’t really have any control over it.’ It doesn’t really serve me personally or creatively.

Chris Pine: I think Zach really said it. There’s not much control you have over how people view our performances and these new incarnations of these characters.’ I think it’s really a credit to J.J. that he always created an atmosphere on set where I don’t think any of us ever felt encumbered by a sense of responsibility or living up to expectations, even though protecting the legacy was always on our minds. But it was never at the forefront.’ It was always about making this particular version of the movie as best as we could make it.
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MUSE: What would you say was the biggest challenge about preparing for the film or working on the film?

CP: For me, it was just the physical aspect of it. I don’t think I was really prepared for the physical toll. When you read the script and you see all of these pages of description of these action sequences, you fail to realize that what takes you minutes to read on the page will take months of actual shooting. I also think it was the stunts and working with the green screen that threw me most.

ZQ: I think for me it was a matter of finding the emotional life of this character with the restrictions of not really being able to express that emotion as freely as human beings do.
MUSE: What kind of research did you do to prepare for your respective roles?

CP: In the beginning I got the box set of the series so I was midway through watching the first season of the original series when I realized that what I was doing was really setting myself up for disaster because what Mr. Shatner did was so unique and specific and wonderful, and he just did such a great job.’ Rather than focus on that though, it actually served me more to pay attention to the wonderful script we were given by Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman and really trying to live up to the great writing that they gave us instead of trying to immerse myself in the minutiae and the details of the original series, as great as they are and as much as they might have helped other actors.’ I found that I was placing an undue burden on myself of creating an impersonation rather than an original incarnation.

ZQ: I utilized Leonard to a great extent and engaged him in many, many conversations about the character.’ I also had the advantage of being cast really early, so I immersed myself in a lot of reading about the world of ‘Star Trek’ and the mythology.’ I also worked with a good friend who has subsequently become my business partner who is arguably one of the biggest ‘Star Trek’ fans certainly that I know, to sort of help guide me through the questions that I had in preparation for starting.

MUSE: What do you think the real, true fans of the original ‘Star Trek’ series are going to think about the new movie?
CP: I think they’re really going to enjoy it.’ We had J.J. who’s kind of the self-professed non-fan but then we have these great protectors of cannon like Bob Orci and (producer) Damon Lindelof that were making sure that what we were doing paid tribute and homage to the minutiae of the original series and to the themes that Gene Roddenberry (writer of the original ‘Star Trek’ series) expressed in the original version.’ But at the same time, we had new life ‘-‘- J.J. brought a whole new perspective.’ It’s exactly what he brought to ‘Mission Impossible 3,’ which is a great sense of character, a great sense of relationships and establishing the characters before taking care of the spectacle and the effects of it all.
Muse: What was it like working on set with J.J. Abrams?

ZQ: J.J. has an incredible energy. He could not be more professional, could not be more open, could not be more supportive. He’s really sure about what he’s seeing and what he wants to see. He has a tremendous capacity to communicate that and sort of blend it with personability and a sense of humor that makes it incredibly enjoyable. I very much hope that I get a chance to do it again.

CP: What I appreciate about J.J. is that even though there was an incredible amount of pressure inherent in doing ‘Star Trek,’ not only because it’s a big tent pole movie but also because it is ‘Star Trek’ with a very passionate and protective fan base, he always created a fun atmosphere on set. It was always about the day’s work and never about the bigger picture, which I think if we looked at it when we were doing it, could have been disastrous and heavy.

MUSE: What should people who have never seen ‘Star Trek’ before expect from this movie?’ Do you think it’s going to appeal to this audience as well as fans of the original?

ZQ: Now that the movie is starting to screen and we’re getting feedback, I think the thing that I’ve heard most consistently is from people who have not been ‘Star Trek’ fans, but who felt exhilarated and connected to these characters much more than they expected to be.’ That’s probably the most consistently encouraging feedback that I’ve gotten. The hope is that the movie itself transcends the connection to ‘Star Trek’ for people that might not have exposure to it.’ J.J. has said openly and many times that he didn’t necessarily make this movie for ‘Star Trek’ fans ‘-‘- he made this movie for future ‘Star Trek’ fans. That’s something that I think really comes across in the film.