Excerpts From Shatner GQ Feature + Bill On ‘Texting’ JJ Abrams December 17, 2009
by TrekMovie.com Staff , Filed under: Abrams, Celebrity, Shatner , trackback
The January issue of GQ Magazine has an extensive feature and interview with the original Kirk, William Shatner. The article explores Shatner’s multi-faceted nature from actor, spokesman, and self-aware pop culture figure. We have a first look at some excerpts, plus links to Shat-tastic cutting room floor audio from his interview.
Shatner as SHATNER
Andrew Corsello’s feature on William Shatner explores distinguishing "Shatner the man from the aurora that is SHATNER." From spending time with the man, Corsello writes in GQ:
Near the end of the last century, during a Late Night with Conan O’Brien appearance, Shatner said that for years he’d wondered about this SHATNER he kept hearing about at Star Trek conventions, some kind of mythical presence. A man? A god? Finally, Shatner said, he realized: He was SHATNER.
The rest of the excellent article looks deeper into the various facets of Shatner and SHATNER!, with some interesting insights from the man himself, as well as friends and colleagues. Such as this insight from a Boston Legal producer
"There may have been a point in Bill’s career when the jokes stung, where people were not taking him seriously enough," says Bill D’Elia, who executive-produced Boston Legal and directed seventeen episodes. "But by the time I met him, he didn’t care, and I think that freed him to play Denny in a way he might not have been able to earlier in his career. I think he was able, at that point in his life, to embrace the parody and then let it go, so that it wound up being a perfect—and perfectly timely—melding of actor and role."
The piece also delves into the mind that is Shatner. At one point Shatner tells the story of accidentally bidding (and winning) for a horse at an auction, when he was actually just having an ‘animated’ discussion with a child he was sitting with and waving his hands around. However, Bill still bought the horse, and explains thusly:
“I believe that when things happen, they happen with a PURPOSE,” Shatner declares. “You can’t change them. I have been accused of never saying no. I am INDISCREET, it is said, is it not? With my roles. With my endorsements. With my books. With all that I am involved in. But I am not a big believer in No. What if I had tried to renege on that horse? I’d only have embarrassed myself. A flaky actor pretending at being a cowboy. No, I ACCEPTED it. I moved with it. I believe in MOTION. I believe in CHAOS. I believe in taking what happens as inevitable. Lightning STRIKES. It RAINS. You get ILL. You get NOMINATED. The photon SHATTERS the molecule, the electrons SHOOT OFF in all directions, and I BEHOLD the mineral around me!”
It is a great read and you can pick up the January issue of GQ on newsstands on December 22nd. More info at GQ.com.
Shatner in January GQ
Shatner Audio – talks archery, guns, Trek delivery, Sabotage and Abrams
GQ have put some audio highlights from their Shatner interview online. You can listen to the man was poetically on archery, guns, and much more. He also explains his famous Kirk delivery of dialogue. Go listen to it all to enjoy the Shat-tasticness.
While talking about his infamous "sabotage" recording incident, they got to talking about the new Star Trek movie. The interviewer asked him if he knew about the inclusion of the Beastie Boys song "Sabotage" in the movie (which he didn’t). Here is what he had to say about his recent meeting with JJ Abrams
AUDIO CLIP: Listen to Shatner Talk "Sabotage" and Abrams
Shatner: [JJ]’s so funny. I texted him. He wants to have a meeting with me. He told me a couple months ago…so, a couple weeks ago I texted, I said "when the f–k is the meeting, I’m not going to live much longer, and you better have a meeting with me before I die. And he texted back saying "well, don’t die before next week"
(The interview was presumably done a few weeks ago, last week on Jimmy Kimmel Live Shatner talked about having his lunch with Abrams.)
Go to GQ.com for the rest of the clips
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Comments»
Go shat!
Gotta love the Shat!
Shat’s the sheeit!
Bring Back The Shat!
Star Trek 2, The Wrath of Shat!
So, now Shatner says he’s working out, trying to attain the perfect body, not just for his age but any age. If pulls that off, and he gets in the next Star Trek movie, is he going to want Kirk to get his shirt ripped off yet again?
William Shanter??? Sacrilege!
#5, Well he did it in FUTURAMA!
Shatner’s the king.
He’d best be in the new Trek film.
Excellent.
I love the Shat, he made Kirk the character that I love.
However, if Bill really wanted to come back as Kirk he should volunteer to star in a New Voyages (Phase II) episode. That is where I really want to see Kirk. Back in the real TOS universe not the JJ universe. (The movie was fun a great, don’t get me wrong…. ) But I like my Enterprise to have red doors, red railings and classic black consoles. I love what Cawley has done. I wish Shat would watch how great the Sulu and Checkov episodes were.
After all Trek has done for William Shatner I wish he would give back to the fans Kirk one more time.
This is great news,,
I cant wait to hear what was said at the “Lunch Meeting”
:oD
We just have to cover Shat with ping pong balls and do a Gollum/ Neytiri and voila! Young Shat! Vintage Kirk!
Unless there’s some sabotaaaaaage.
Its cool that Shatner and JJ Abrams actually text eachother….
If Shatner is God, then what does Shatner need with a starship…?
#10-
Never in a million years will that ever happen.
ILOVETHISHOMBRE
They should rename Star Trek: The Original Series to Shat Trek: The Shattastic Series! He’s awesome!
#14 SPB:
That was a good one! Now which movie did that line come from – oh yea -The Final Frontier , I think.
I just Shat myself.
The reality to me is that it’s hard to image that Star Trek would have succeeded without him. While all the other actors, writers and producers brought some element to the show that made it iconic, I think Shatner and Roddenberry are the parts that without them, there would be no Star Trek as a legacy and probably wouldn’t have lasted past 1 season let alone 3.
@ 20
Agreed. Shatner is the Godfather of Star Trek. Just think, if Jeffrey Hunter had been kept on as Capt. Pike. The actor died in 1969, three years after the pilot. There would have been no movies. No movies would have led to no additional Star Trek TV shows (TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise). Like Shatner said in the interview, everything happens for a reason. It was meant to be. He was meant to be Capt. Kirk.
The way Shatner’s done everything conceivable, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he wrote a book about death – after he died! Knowing him, he’d find a way!
BTW in the TNG “YesterdaysEnterprise”Guinan sensed how the timeline changed?DId Guinan change the STXI’s timeline change?
Regarding Guinan.. They were doing the “linear” timeline on those previous time travel stories. She was there in the Nexus, too, with Picard. The new Star Trek move used the “alternate” timeline scenario of time travel (a new timeline, running parallel to the original one.. not replacing it). Therefore, there would (should) be nothing “wrong” with it in Guinan’s mind.
Pic looks cool
Looks 25 yrs younger than his actual age
Love to see Bill get in fighing shape one more time
I want a poster version of that photo of Shatner for my dorm’s wall!
#10
- I love the Shat, he made Kirk the character that I love. –
Exactly.
#19
lmao
@21
The timeline would have been changed. EVERYTHING would be different.
“History will be irrevocably changed”
“…and a new future will have been created. “
Shatner is cool.
And, he’s a Shakespearean actor from Canada. ;)
He’s Canadian, and he’s proud! ;)
I love how it sounds like Shatner is scarfing down a cheesburger during the interview.
Damn, I want that picture on my desktop. *wipes drool*
Where can I get it a higher quality?
@ #14: Amen!
SHATNER!
Eh– they “had a meeting” last time too. Nothing came of it other than bitterness among Shatner fans. Let Abrams make an announcement that Shatner will be in the movie, and I’ll wake up.
Interesting point on Guinan. No reason she wouldn’t sense the changes–unless she no longer exists in the future timeline. That’s possible, given that the E-B saved her life and now likely won’t be around.
The beauty of the nexus is that it is such a broad plot device that even if Abrams still wants people to buy into his alternate universe theory, it could be used to bring in Shatner as Kirk Prime without even altering the events of ST11.
That’s a GREAT picture of The Shat. He looks great indeed. 78, but he could pass for 60. Put him in the next Trek movie, and I’ll be a happy fan.
Excellent picture!
The Shat, exercising his “cowboy diplomacy”
@ # 21
<>
Although there is no denying that Shatner has made a major and invaluable contribution to Star Trek, he is far from being the Godfather of Star Trek, let alone a God. If you want to label someone as a Godfather of Star Trek, then choose Gene Roddenberry who created it in the first place!!! Without him, there would have been no Star Trek and no Captain Kirk.
I think Shat should play Khan in the sequel.
I feel so sad that we probably have no more than 10 more years of this great man among us.
that would be messed up if THE SHAT was to play khan in the new movie. Cool but aint gonna happen
Shatner would be great for Phase II. Once Spock received news of Kirk’s disappearance, and determined the Nexus’ composition, he certainly would have mounted some kind of rescue of Kirk, especially considering Kirk’s saving of Spock in STIII. Maybe Phase II could address this kind of story someday. I would like to see Shatner in an Abrams film, but only as Kirk, with an important part.
I say give Shatner a role as Tiberius Kirk, from the Mirror Universe. Let Pine play Captain Kirk, against Shatner’s scene chewing Tiberius and you have an film for the ages.
The Shat has lost quite a bit of weight. I wonder if he is in training to be the Kirk once again.
Who is William Shatner?
I must buy the magazine!
@ 39. Julian – December 18, 2009
@ # 21
Although there is no denying that Shatner has made a major and invaluable contribution to Star Trek, he is far from being the Godfather of Star Trek, let alone a God. If you want to label someone as a Godfather of Star Trek, then choose Gene Roddenberry who created it in the first place!!! Without him, there would have been no Star Trek and no Captain Kirk.
————————————————————————————————–
I can if I want to. You’re not the boss of me.
I think Star Trek was very lucky to have Bill (as he was to have it!). Aside from creating a performance that is still famous today, there is also the longevity factor. If some of the other choices for Captain … Hunter, Jack Lord, Lloyd Bridges … had been selected, we wouldn’t have gotten as many TOS movies as we did.
On a side note – just watching the first season of Fringe now – and I recall reading about how Joshua Jackson wanted to play Kirk….I think he would have made a great ‘new’ Kirk. IMO
Hillarious stuff
There is no way that Shatner’s Kirk can be anything but a glorified cameo in the next film. And if he’s more then that, then they’re chickening out of going in anew direction with Star Trek, and may as well have not bothered recasting at all – just go with Shatner and Nimoy again…
They NEED to let the new crew have a unique adventure of there own – to move on.
Kirk and Spock (the prime universe versions) NEED to have one last adventure together of THEIR own – perhaps a two-part TV movie (in Hi-Def of course!). This would allow time to tell a proper ’send off’ tale – I never bought the Kirk in the nexus as ‘our’ Kirk – he just didn’t act like Kirk. Kirk riding around on horses, cooking… and not giving a damn about getting back to his ‘first best destiny’??!? Er nope! Not Kirk! So that leaves open the possibility to REALLY bring the real Kirk back – it could superbly mirror The Search for Spock in many ways.
Lets send Kirk and Spock off on a HIGH note – please no deaths this time (it’s been done…er… to death!). Lets have them return to the bridge of the ORIGINAL Enterprise – Imagine what a nostalgic blast that would be! I don’t think they’d be a dry eye on the house!
Sorry for the CAPITALS hahaha! I just feel strongly that it’s now or never to bring them both back together on screen properly! Not a cameo in somebody else’s film you know?
Peace!
- I, M
^53. At this point I’m happy to see Shatner and Nimoy together in ANYTHING. They are so funny together. Why not a Grumpy Old Men-type comedy film? I can’t be the only person who thinks this would be outstanding. They’ve acted together in non-Star Trek appearances before. Why isn’t anybody developing this idea?
would be great and financially successful
That Abrams excerpt was a riot. If anyone could text after he’s dead, it’d be the Shat man. The consummate symbol of technology!
On a more serious note, I was listening to Messrs. Shatner and Nimoy do a recent film commentary and there was a considerable passage on the issue of mortality. I think that there needs to be considerable optimism involved in the entire matter. How we face is death is at least as important as how we face life — as someone famous once said.
Live long and prosper, Mr. Shatner.
“On a more serious note, I was listening to Messrs. Shatner and Nimoy do a recent film commentary and there was a substantial passage on the issue of mortality. I think that there needs to be considerable optimism involved in the entire matter. How we face is death is at least as important as how we face life — as someone famous once said.”
As corrected.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…………God I’m hoping. Please GOD be in the movie.
Ah man I hope thats what the meeting is all about.
KHHHHHHHHHHAANNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“I texted, I said “when the f–k is the meeting, I’m not going to live much longer, and you better have a meeting with me before I die. And he texted back saying “well, don’t die before next week”
rofl……Classically hilarious……
@ 39. Julian – December 18, 2009
Although there is no denying that Shatner has made a major and invaluable contribution to Star Trek, he is far from being the Godfather of Star Trek, let alone a God. If you want to label someone as a Godfather of Star Trek, then choose Gene Roddenberry who created it in the first place!!! Without him, there would have been no Star Trek and no Captain Kirk.
————————————————————————————————–
Actually, the network didn’t like the first pilot. It was only after Shatner was brought on board for the 2nd pilot that it got picked up.. SO, you could indeed call Shatner “The Godfather” of Star Trek. Sounds more like there ‘would have been no Star Trek’ without HIM (notice that I capitalized “HIM”, as in GOD, maybe??).
54 – I though this while watching The Odd Couple recently!!! They have such a natural chemistry together I cannot imagine WHY nobody hasn’t done this yet. They’re both very funny men too – get them to add-lib in front of the camera and I’m sure it would be comedy gold!
Still, as far as Kirk and the sequal movie, pleas bring him back properly, rather than some hologram from the past or something, otherwise what’s really the whole point?
So if Kirk is going to be in the new movie I think we can kiss goodbye the notion that they’re really going to concentrate 100% on the new crew now. Will they bring back an original cast member for every sequel now??!?
Come on guys – let Kirk & Spock have THEIR OWN story now, and leave the new crew to do their thing…… It just gets too convoluted to shoe-horn original TOS characters into this new timeline. Spock worked (just!) but lets leave it now.
Get Kirk & Spock back together for one more outing on the small(er) screen, where they first started together. It’s PERFECT. Get Kirk back for real so we can forget Generations, and lets have the feel-good send-off fo them both to end them all.\
It really is now or never Paramount/JJ………
#53 – That’s because the guys who wrote GENERATIONS didn’t know Kirk. They knew the TNG crew fine, but they didn’t know Kirk, so they couldn’t write for him. They wrote for a character they felt was an old Kirk.
Now, the Nexus being what it is; Kirk is still there. Just like Guinan is still there. And Picard is still there. So Shatner’s Kirk can show up just about anywhere, anytime.
Remember how great Gleason & Carney were, in anything they did? They brought the two back together once or twice for a film just to get them together. Even better example; how about Lemmon & Matthau? They had perfect chemistry in The Odd Couple and they got them back together for Grumpy Old Men, which was great.
Shatner & Nimoy have the same kind of chemistry, especially as Kirk & Spock. I agree that, for all intents & purposes, one last spin could be quite enjoyable. Sad that Deforest is no longer around to join them, but even that could work into the story. (BTW, read the “Crucible” series for a nice farewell for all three of my favorite TREK characters).
(I’m also of the opinion that the TNG crew need a better finalé, but that’s another thread.)
62 – Hey Ralph – agreed with all your points – The Nexus could easily be the answer to getting the REAL Kirk back again. Perhaps Spock could have a hand in this too, being the only one who quietly suspected that Kirk isn’t really dead, but MIA. Haven’t read a Trek novel in a couple decades, but may well check those out over Christmas.
These two amazing actors still WANT to do Star Trek, and I just find it hard to believe that the powers that be are trying to awkwardly shoe-horn them into glorified cameo roles, which demeans their screen-time (and that of the NEW crew….!), when we could easily have a steller high quality made for TV movie which addresses Kirk’s return, gets them back together again, and would absolutely GUARANTEE high viewing figures. With a 2-parter they wouldn’t have to rush the story either. They could also address the destruction of Vulcan and Spock getting back to the prime universe… perhaps the Nexus can traverse universes, and Spock gains knowledge of this and uses it to get back, and happens to ‘bump’ into an old friend in there…. I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Damn I wish I knew some people on the inside to try and hammer these points home. What I wouldn’t give to see a 4 hour (say) 2-part TV movie with them both.
The worst thing in the world would be to lose this chance, and for fans to forever lament, “what could have been” you know?
Strike NOW Paramount, while public interest is still there, and Nimoy and Shatner are STILL WITH US……….
P.S. I’d love to see Mr Pascal do a poll on whether people would be interested in seeing a Kirk and Spock reunion TV-movie, and leave the new crew of the Enterprise free to do their own thing in the movies…..
:)
Sorry – meant of course Anthony Pascale – apologies for the typo ;)
The Stat is A God, and you all better not forget that!!!!
Shatnerismo!
I wonder if the whole interview capitalizes his more emphatic phrasings. I hope so. Hilarious.
The Shat is and forever will be one of the coolest people in show business, and he’s a laugh a minute as well!
The SHAT rules!! :)