Nimoy Cried Reprising Spock Role
April 27 2009, Published 10:03 a.m. ET
Veteran actor Leonard Nimoy admitted that he was moved to tears reprising his role as the Vulcan Spock in the new $150 million Star Trek blockbuster.
Nimoy, 78, who stars alongside a brand new younger crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, ‘choked-up’ when he thought about some of former co-stars like James Doohan and DeForrest Kelly who are no longer alive.
The normally stoic actor confessed: “Yes, I did get emotional and I was crying at times but I’m at a much more peaceful place in my life too right know and that feels good."
Director JJ Abrams had to persuade Nimoy to reprise his role because he knew it would help connect the audience with his new generation of stars.
And through a time-travel plot twist, Nimoy actually does a lot of his scenes with the new Spock played by Heroes' star Zachary Quinto.
Nimoy explained: “I did have some reservations about doing the film, but when I read the script and met the director I agreed with the direction they had decided to take.
- 'Vain' and 'Worship-Hungry' John Travolta, 70, 'Quitting Hollywood For Australia': 'His Days of Getting Treated Like a King in Tinseltown are Dead'
- Hollywood 'Running Scared' Over Diddy Scandal: Jailed Rapper's A-List Pals 'Zipping Lips' Amid Fear of Being Dragged into Court to Give Testimony
- Placenta Hunger Grips Hollywood: We Reveal the 'Cannibal Celeb' Moms Risking Killer Diseases by Eating Their Afterbirth
DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.
“JJ Abrams is a unique in that he can do both the large scale moments and the personal moments also and that’s very rare in cinema. I believe that this new Star Trek mirrors what is going on in society today and has a very positive message in that if people work together they can solve there problems much better.”
Actor Karl Urban – who plays Dr “Bones” McCoy – was determined to give a big nod to actor DeForest Kelly because he made him such a beloved Star Trek character.
“I was a huge Star Trek fan, so, that was really important to me to make sure that their was continuity with that performance. Hopefully, Star Trek fans will recognize that in my performance in the new movie because that is very important to me to pay homage to DeForrest.” (Photo: Getty Images)