Kiwi actor Karl Urban, Dr. Leonard McCoy for the new Star Trek, is probably the biggest Trek fan of the film’s new cast and so far his performance as Bones is getting rave reviews for how it honors the original actor, DeForest Kelley. Today the actor showed off his enthusiasm for the film and his part while appearing on a on a New Zealand morning chat show. See below for video.
VIDEO: Urban talks Trek and charity
Urban appeared on New Zealand’s Channel 3 morning show to promote a Christmas chairty (more info at 3news.co.nz).
CLICK to see Urban at 3news.co.nz
[NOTE: 3 News actually used a Gabriel Koerner design for Urban’s backdrop.]
Some select quotes:
On the Star Trek film:
This is going to be wicked. They are throwing more money at this thing than probably the last five films combined [Editors note: more like the last 2 1/2 films].
On Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy:
It was freaky working with him. It was like watching an original episode and being face to face with Leonard Nimoy as Spock. I actually got to see Leonard doing his very first day of putting on the ears and the eyebrows and becoming Spock after 17 years and it was one of those iconic pop moments.
Urban also talks about working on historic sets at Paramount, being on set while Stephen Spielberg was there and more.
Urban also promoting the Christmas promotion for New Zealand’s KidsCan Charitable Trust. See the official site for more on the KidsCan Christmas Cracker Appeal.
Karl Urban as Dr. Bones McCoy in "Star Trek"
UPDATE: Urban talks Trek fandom and differences at Cloverfield premiere
If you haven’t seen this before, here is an interview given by Urban back in January while they were filming the movie. Urban talks about what a big fan he is and how his portrayal of Bones differs than that of DeForest Kelley. (thanks Spockboy).
Now, I have my serious doubts and peccadillos regarding what this movie will be…
but from what little I’ve seen Karl Urban is the real deal when it comes to McCoy!
First?
He’s a doctor not an actor!
Karl Urban is a terrific actor. And based on the reviews, he’s probably gonna deliver another great performance. May 8, please hurry!
God bless!
Foist!
I think.
Karl is one of those character actors who truly BECOME the person they’re portraying.
Unlike, say, Tommy Lee Jones, who seems to always be playing the same role. Himself.
Let the vilification begin….
I’m really looking forward in seeing Urban’s performance as McCoy…. Urban’s Bones and Pegg’s Scotty… big expectations!
By the way… notice Gabe Koerner’s Enterprise on the screen behind Urban? LOL!
I love Karl Urban. He’s just a really likable actor, even when he’s playing a vicious Russian hitman. I think this movie will put Karl Urban into the stratosphere. And I think Spielberg was on set to poach some of the considerable talent working on this movie..
Did anyone else notice that in the background of the interview, the ship is Gabriel Koerner’s Enterprise and not the actual one from the movie. I find it kinda funny.
Gawd, he looks so much like Gary Mitchell in that one pic with the red shirt on…
Wow! Gary Mitchell! :)
Not sure, but that still of UrBones next to PineKirk looks less airbrushed, hence less creepily homoerotic, than previous posts of the same still, especially after EW did its thing with the pic.
Anyway, looking forward to May.
#6 – I totally agree!
I love this man… :-D
For me, Karl Urban wasn’t the first actor I had in mind to play McCoy. When I heard that he was announced to play the part, I was intrigued. Than the more I watched his movies, the more optimistic I got. As Tom Servo observed during his experimenting on the “Good and the Beautiful”
“Hmm. Yes..yes..yes. Yes. Yes. YES. YES. YES!!”
Now he’s number one of the new original crew member I’m really looking forward to see!
McCoy was always my favorite from the series and with Urban playing the part, I couldn’t be more satisfied with the choice in casting.
Too bad the other two, Pine and Quinto, couldn’t see it in themselves as actors to bring more of the original actor’s mannerisms to the roles. They might have won more acclaim also. See, it never hurts to be more like the character you are playing!
#10. CmdrR
…UrBones… heh, that’s great! You need to trademark that!
In general, I do have to say that the cast as whole really strikes me as a potentially strong group of performers.
And I finally did have my first first.
Not my First FIRST, if you know what I mean, but I’m sure you know what I mean…
It’s really funny; despite my love for Urban after LOTR and Bourne, his was the casting I was most concerned about when all the actors were first announced. I could see Pegg as Scotty; I could see Greenwood as Pike; Pine was a completely unknown entity to me. But I just couldn’t picture Urban as Bones.
I couldn’t be happier to hear that he really seems to have done a good job! And now, he’s the one I most want to see come May!
Cinema in general could use a lot more Karl Urban. I watched a stinker of a film from 2005: ‘Doom’, based on the video game. It’s not saying much, but Karl Urban was the best thing about it; his was the one character in the whole thing that seemed halfway human.
Anyway, I love this guy!
Is it May yet?
#13 – Fred
I’m glad to hear that Urban’s De Kelley impression seems to be working, but frankly, I don’t think that, in general, it’s the best way for the actors to go about this.
If Chris Pine were to try and do a Shat impression, it would be suicide, and it would destroy the movie.
I’ve been a fan of Urban since he was Julius Caesar on Xena… I was rather taken aback when I heard he was playing McCoy, but after hearing several interviews talking about how he petitioned for the role, I was intrigued. He is definitely one of the things I think will shine about this movie.
I think he is going to be great in the new movie! The more I hear from and about him the more confidant I am.
:-)
The brightest thing we’ve seen so far.
I can settle with bad Uhura or Chekov, but not with bad McCoy. They’ve done a great job with Urban.
Although I’m the last person to make a judgement based on so little footage, from reports, I wonder if Karl and Chris are going to ‘get’ the characters of McCoy and Kirk so well compared with Zachary Quinto’s Spock that Kirk and McCoy’s relationship will become the neo-Trek equivalent of the old Trek’s Kirk/Spock relationship!
13 – Fred
Doesn’t know what he is talking about. Yes he is entitled to his opinion. However wrong that may be.
I want to see more of him and Simon Pegg. Bones and Scotty need to be done with a lot of care, so they don’t become parodies. Chekov too.
#20 Dom
I have found it a touch surprising that the early reviews seem to be just a touch cool on Quinto as Spock while very enthusiastic about Pine. I wouldn’t have neccesarily expected that, but there are always surprises, eh? Urban’s apparently strong performance, though, intrigued me from the first casting reports.Well, the proof shall be in the pudding.
@13
I don’t know if I really want to see Pine employing Shatner’s “Pause-Acting” method and his softball-pitcher arm swings as he speaks. You know the ones I mean.
While I know some of the hardcore fans will vehemently disagree, I don’t consider Shatner’s mannerisms key components of Kirk as a character. His personality, yes, and that’s something that can be projected by Chris Pine’s version of Kirk without the need for “Shatnerisms”.
Spock’s and McCoy’s, on the other hand, are very much key components of their respective characters, because they’re reflections of the characters’ backgrounds.
I’ve always thought since I first saw the red-suit still that Urban looks a heck of a lot like 60s’ era Doohan.
Weird.
Folks, don’t forget Urban did an elegant turn as a Southern-accented Woodrow Call in the Lonesome Dove prequel Comanche Moon. He was convincing there with the accent…
And it gives him the “cred” even more to follow in De’s footsteps. Westerns are the heart and soul of the character of Dr. McCoy. That’s exactly why Gene cast De.
I love how the picture of the Enterprise in the background of this interview is the one that faked everyone out earlier this year and NOT the actual Enterprise from the movie. It make me LuLz.
wow that pic showing Urban & Pine looks straight out of DCs Annual 2 from 1991 – the Kirk Academy issue…only in that it was Kirk and Mitchell
What a cool Christmas tradition. :-)
Karl Urban was the casting choice I liked the best. Despite a lot of infatuation with Quinto, Urban just seemed right to play McCoy. He was a character that I had trouble casting in my head and once Urban’s name started floating around, it put all fears to rest.
Definitely looking forward to more interviews with him the closer we get to release time!
23. earthclanbootstrap
Yeah, funny about Quinto, isn’t it? Of course, he’s the one person who’s been hired for his resemblance to his predecessor. Time will tell, I guess!
“For Lord, and land, fulfil your promises Rohan Riders!”
Karl, legend. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWSEQeBLFz4
Urban is a triple threat.
He has looks, brains and TOS cred.
Great interview. The hosts weren’t very impressive, though. Clearly not up on Star Trek beforehand….
#4 ‘Beach
Right there with you regarding Tommy Lee Jones! Always thought that guy was overrated, or at least, supremely obnoxious.
But I’m very excited to see Urban’s McCoy.
#5
“By the way… notice Gabe Koerner’s Enterprise on the screen behind Urban? LOL!”
Ooops! I find that ship quite appealing. I wonder if Gabe will get some residuals from that shot ;) Just goes to show what a great job he did on that ship.
Urban is going to be an excellent McCoy! In fact, I think JJ did a great job assembling such a great cast.
I’m only waiting for the answer to ONE question: when did McCoy and Kirk swap their eyes (: ?
I’m only waiting for the answere to ONE single Question:
When did McCoy and Kirk swap their eyes (: ?
I was always excited by Urban’s casting (and Simon Pegg’s – who I would’ve assumed was the ACTUAL biggest Trek geek among the new cast, no?). I thought he was great in the Lord of the Rings films and the Bourne Supremacy (albeit, a fairly silent part). I haven’t seen Quinto’s work on Heroes, and it remains to be seen if Chris Pine is going to be anything other than a coffee table. But if it doesn’t happen in this movie, then it’s comforting to know that, because McCoy and Kirk were such close characters the first time ’round, that Urban will be getting a decent amount of screen time in the previous films as those characters’ relationships develop. And it pleases me, too, that people say he’s “nailed” McCoy in the preview scenes, as he’s my personal favourite Original Series character.
had to Google search what a Christmas cracker was. it seems as if they’re kinda like fortune cookies of the British Empire.
anyway, what scene (do we know yet?) did Mr. Spielberg sit in on?
p.s. but unlike fortune cookies, you don’t eat Christmas crackers.
long live the Queen!
*next films, not previous, as stated above.
Christmas crackers are sort of… decorated paper tubes with a little banger inside when they’re pulled apart by two people. They usually have a cheap, crap prize inside, along with a paper crown and some equally cheap and crap jokes. And they look like this:
http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1613/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1613R-10077.jpg
And they do exist outside of the British empire…
I was lucky enough to stumble upon a pilot that Karl Urban did for a science fiction TV show at one point and it really nailed home the idea that Karl Urban loves science fiction. It was campy, corny, and cliched, but it was hilarious and fun to watch. He’ll be a great McCoy.
#4-
You forgot BATMAN FOREVER… where Tommy Lee Jones was essentially playing Jack Nicholson’s Joker.
#43 Well, mostly they don’t exist outside the empire. However, we’ve done them for several years. For me the trick is to get the darned things to actually make the “bang” when they’re pulled apart. I usually have to pull the explosive strip again once the cracker is open.
Urban is one of the few that I can actually begin to accept as the character he’s supposed to be. I can look at the pic of him in his Starfleet blue uniform and figure out who he is, same with Quinto as Spock. The rest, not so much, especially Yelchin and Pegg.
Score, I got post #47! Lol
Jack Nicholson would have been an awesome McCoy
I’m entirely enthused about Karl Urban, and still hold out hopes that this movie will be worthy of the care he’s given his work on it.