Last night the new Scotty, Simon Pegg, picked up the Ronnie Barker Writers’ Guild Award at the British Comedy Awards (but his cop movie parody Hot Fuzz lost out to The Simpsons Movie for Best Comedy Film). Sky Showbiz also got the actor to talk a bit about the new Star Trek film. Apparently he hasn’t started shooting yet and doesn’t even have his own copy of the script.
Pegg told Sky Showbiz:
I don’t know much about it yet, I’m just about to set out and start doing it, it’s going to be great. It’s very hush-hush; when I read it, I read it with a security guard near me – it’s that secretive.
Pegg shouldn’t take it personally, it appears that the only actor who was given a copy of the script before being signed on was Leonard Nimoy (and possibly Eric Bana)
When accepting his award, Pegg was quite gracious. Chortle.UK recaps the event:
Bill Bailey presented the Ronnie Barker Writers’ Guild award to Simon Pegg. Bailey said: ‘You sort of forget, because he makes it very easy, how good a performer he is.’ Pegg said: ‘I feel slightly fraudulent as I’ve got here on the shoulders of other people: Jessica Stevenson, Edgar Wright, Nick Frost.’
Facial Hair On Scotty?
In the picture from the awards show below, it is clear that Pegg is still sporting his beard. On The Original Series Scotty was clean-shaven. However for the TOS films the original Scotty, Jimmy Doohan sported a mustache. It is likely that the beard will have to go, but then again this is a “new vision” of Star Trek. VOTE in the latest poll (right sidebar) on your thoughts: should they keep the beard, go with the stache, or the classic clean look?
Pegg…still got the whiskers
I like this guy!
Simon Pegg is a comedy genius and a really good actor. People who are worried will be relieved next December.
Actors involved in the film not having their own copy of the script – is it just me or is this getting quite ridiculous?
I think that he will do just fine.
his hair looks fuller…
Fasinating.
Perhaps he’s had a little bit of work now he can afford it – some replacement at the front. I am still unconvinced by him as Scotty – too much baggage of previous roles.
#6
No offense, but that is something that is our problem to get over, not his. Anyhow, would you prefer it if he had no previous acting experience?
If he approaches it as any actor should, he will put all his effort into the role. And he is a good actor, so I am hopeful.
Riker had a full beard. Besides, he hasn’t even started shooting yet so, like most of us with goatees, I’m sure he isn’t going to shave it until he absolutely has to.
I like this guy! I was wondering if they are going to dye his hair black or are the powers that be going to allow minor things like hair color to be changed?
Personally I wouldn’t care too much as long as the story and acting is good, the new actors are (as far as I’ve heard) not going to imitate the original actors down to the smallest detail.
IF PEGG WAS TO SHAVE HIS GOATEE…
…and dye his hair dark brown or black, he’d actually look a lot more like James Doohan than you’d initially think.
If Scotty ends up looking exactly like Simon Pegg does today, then yeah, that’ll take some MAJOR getting-used-to.
I smell a boycott!
He can shave his beard, wear a red shirt, say, “I canna…” and crawl up Jeffries Tubes until he is blue in the face and I will STILL believe he
is……………..Simon Pegg
#7 disagree: someone with an established persona in comic roles will inevitably “take you out” of the picture
He can only keep the goatee if he is the Mirror Universe Scotty. And he might well be.
Keep the beard. Why counldn’t Scotty have sported a beard in his younger days? All we know is that he didn’t have it in the first episode of TOS. Its very fetching and, imo, makes him look more Scotty-ish.
Oh get over it. This was bound to happen. We knew that there would eventually be a redux of Star Trek. So get over it. If it’s a good movie, it’s a good movie. Let it stand on its own merits. After all, if James Bond can go blond………
The beard issue is quite silly. Actors frequently grow facial hair between films. We’ve seen Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Jim Carrey, etc. all with full beards in public. During filming they are so often in the makeup chair it must be a relief to just do nothing sometimes.
#3:”Actors involved in the film not having their own copy of the script – is it just me or is this getting quite ridiculous?”
It’s just you. This is certainly not an unheard-of practice. It’s not clear right now that Scotty, Sulu, Uhura et al have more than brief appearences in the movie and security concerns certainly outweigh whatever natural curiosity they may have.
Facial hair is gross, plain and simple. Lose the beard.
#18 – I’m pretty sure it’s not ‘plain and simple’, as I know plenty of guys and girls that would disagree with you ;)
That aside, the most outrageous bit in the article for me was Hot Fuzz losing to SImpsons movie for best comedy! Did anyone who voted actually watch Simpsons? It was about as funny as putting your hand on a stove.
You can grow a half-decent beard in about a week! Who’s to say Scotty couldn’t have a beard for a while?!!
Maybe I’ve changed my mind about him. I think he might can pull this.
I say he should shave it simply to help with the idea that this is a young version of the crew. A beard tends to make one look older.
I think he can definitely pull this off. His eyes are a near-match for James Doohan’s.
I remember Scotty as having an honest sense of humor. Nothing extreme and nothing stale. The role will be in good hands with Pegg.
#20 exactly
Pragmaticus (#23), I was thinking exactly the same thing! Look past the lighter hair and the beard and note the expression on Pegg’s face. That is pure smilin’ Scotty!
Just about all of the casting choices (except for the women…hmmm, that’s interesting) have gotten flak from some fans, but I think Simon Pegg is one of the strongest choices made so far. Yes, he’s primarily known for comedies, but if you look at the two high-profile films he’s made (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) the characters he’s played haven’t been comedic. They’re realistic characters thrown into comedic situations. Both films had downright serious dramatic moments and Pegg was great in them. I have no problem at all with him playing Scotty. I’m sure he’ll do the character (and James Doohan) justice.
He should keep the beard, as long as he combs out the haggas occassionally. I’m not surprised he hasn’t begun filming yet. I would love this to be an all E and crew movie, but obviously they’ve got a lot of back story to get through. We’ll likely only get a few scant scenes of Kirk and company, after we get a movie of Pike & Spock and Spock & Spock and Spock & Kirk.
Hmmm… how long before the release of XII?
Gaaah, I can’t look…
I hope the makers DO want him to be clean-shaven, and with darker hair, so that ‘Willie the gardener’ DOESN’T seem so much like, well, Simon Pegg…
#26, agreed. I won’t have any trouble taking Pegg seriously in a more dramatic role.
Plus he has this one pained expression he uses that reminds me a lot of the one Doohan used to have on the show, whenever Scotty was imploring Kirk to go easy on his poor, overworked engines. lol
I like the guy, but this casting choice may prove too distracting.
I wonder what was behind their choice- besides the audition?
I think he will make a great Scotty… he looks like him well enough… as long as he gets rid of the beard. Yuck.
As long as his accent is better than the guy on New Voyages, I’ll be happy.
I just want to hear him say….
“And if my grandmother had wheels, she’d be a wagon”
#12
Again that is how you see it, and you are entitled to that opinion. But hopefully most people will be able to put his previous work aside and judge him solely on the performance in this film.
I like this guy but again not a one of them are the TOS characters no matter who or how.
“Actors involved in the film not having their own copy of the script – is it just me or is this getting quite ridiculous?”
At this point, aside from us diehards Trek is a dead issue. Paramount has obviously decided to keep this production as low-profile as possible for now, stoking increasing curiosity amongst the hardcore and (hopefully) general public as the filming and post-production work progresses. Much as I’d like to see cast photos and production designs at this point, their approach to a very challenging bit of marketing seems pretty reasonable to me.
Ronnie Barker- now there was a Comedy giant.
For the first time, to me anyway, he does look a lot like Scotty in that picture above if you dismiss the hair. The smiling eyes are Scotty’s eyes.
In TOS, I don’t recall any member of the crew having a beard (except Mirror Mirror Spock), and they all had short closely cropped hair…because they were in the “Service.” Just like the armed forces today, they would have a very strict dress code. I say nobody should have beards, long hair, or trendy modern hair do’s. I especially cant stand gelled spiky hair, puts us definitely in our own time period.
I can’t see any resemblance to Doohan at all.
Reading this story had me thinking about how much attention there has been in the media to Leonard Nimoy in this film, Shatner still not in this film, and some stories here and there for Simon Pegg and John Cho and of course Quinto gets a lot of attention due to Heroes. But almost no mention anywhere for the new Kirk, or the other new actors.
Obviously it’s because Nimoy and Shatner are still very connected to Star Trek in the mainstream public. Perhaps this is good for Chris Pine and the other actors, they can keep a low profile. And they can focus on the work without all the scrutiny.
Speaking of Chris Pine, I saw his father, Andrew Pine guess star on Dirty Sexy Money last night.
I still have my doubts about this dude. I’ll give him a chance, certainly, but if he fails I will have two words for him:
Not.
Scott.
he was really , really great on SotD. I’m hoping he does a good Scotty.
#41 I tend to agree with that, but I am looking forward to his performance.
…even if he has a beard.
Does anyone recall the first episode the character of Mr. Scott changed from the coolheaded engineer to the frantic “my engines are going to blow” kind of guy? Remember the early episodes when the crew of the Enterprise was in a life and death struggle and he was the coolest cucumber on the bridge? Then somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd season his character changed. I hope in the new film returns to the “original” non temperamental Scotty, and not version that has became a parody in so many other venues.
40 – Chris Pine’s father is actor Robert Pine, not Andrew Pine.
I love the rush to judgment before the man has even seen the Trek camera lens. Opinions, sure..have them. Informed opinions are better accepted. Let’s wait and see what comes… on all of the new TOS cast.
11. Stanky McFibberich – December 6, 2007
… yea, we know.
Well, it seems that everyone’s biggest complaint about Mr. Pegg is that he’s too famous and will take you out of the movie. That’s not a problem for me, fortunately, since I’ve never seen a movie with him in it!
47: same here. never seen or heard of him before this.
#17
IMO, it is particularly important that Abrams & Co. enable the supporting actors to comprehend the overall context, as well. The interaction between characters implemented in 4 decades of scifi culture can only work if everybody involved knows his/her meaning within the context.
Apart from that, I don’t think that “natural curiosity” and having the script of the film you’re in are mutually exclusive. There’s surely an endorsement in their contracts which bounds them to secrecy.
#36
What you’re saying makes sense to me where the public is concerned. But I wouldn’t regard the actors involved as “public”. Therefore, I still consider withholding the script from them exaggerated and somewhat counterproductive.
numeros 47 & 48
I have to say, you are losing out. Watch Spaced (the UK version not the soon to be sanitised US version where all the drugs are coffee and all the Star Wars references are taken out for copyright reasons) and watch a fanboy at work when he’s left with the keys to the castle.
He’s very, very good and that’s not getting into Shaun of the Dead.
But yes, we’re raking over an old topic somewhat here, but I’m simply chuffed to bits for him, he’s always worn his geekness on his sleeve and for him to actually be playing Scotty in Trek must still be waking him in the night with a ‘pinch me’ moment.
I was totally sideswiped when he got the role though, I just couldn’t picture it but the more I thought about it the more I liked it and at the end of the day, when we’re there with the popcorn and the 2.4 litre Coke watching the first few scenes, ALL the cast may seem like interlopers but once we’ve watched it all 57 times then we’ll start thinking of these guys as Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty and if the film is good enough, then we’ll buy it.
It doesn’t matter if he has facial hair or wears a skirt… if at the end of the day as long as we’ve not watched “Generations 2” then we’ll believe in the lot of them through sheer repetitive viewing. Pegg is Scotty. You will believe….
…
You may even approve…