William Shatner Replies

You ask, Bill Shatner answers. (It seems just about everyone calls him Bill, so we might as well too.) A nice series of glimpses at the man behind the TV and movie face.

1) your reputation
by tps12

I happened to have seen both of your Twilight Zone episodes (the famous "something on the wing of the airplane" one and the less-famous-but-no-less-interesting one where you are obsessed with a prophecy-dispensing toy in a diner) recently. I have to say that in both episodes I was taken aback at the unexpected quality of your portrayal. Even though everyone associates your face with Captain Kirk, the characters in the TZ episodes came through loud and clear, drowning out my preconceptions.

For this reason, I'd like to ask what you think of your humorous reputation for bad acting. Would you blame some of the egregious hamminess of some of ST on the perception that TV (or SF) wasn't "real" acting or was it directing? Or some other thing?

Bill:

Of course, I don't hear the bad reviews or see them. All I know is the glowing notices that people read to me that some reviewer thinks I'm wonderful. So I've slowly come to think that I'm wonderful.

2) Favourite Parody
by hero

Star Trek has been parodied many times in many different formats; other television shows, movies, comics and so on. You yourself have probably been parodied as much or more in people's "Captain Kirk Impression" stand up skits and the like. My question is, do you recall a favourite parody for its comedy or cleverness of either yourself or the series?

Bill:

I think John Belushi probably did the best.

3) First Interracial Kiss
by Irvu

What was it like to do the first on-screen interracial kiss? How much effort did it take to make the studio go along with it, and how much of an effect did it have on you and the show as a whole?

Bill:

I think the whole interracial kiss thing has been overrated. Nichelle Nichols was a beautiful woman and her lips were full. I merely sought to make an impression.

4) Saturday Night Live
by billmaly

Years ago, when you hosted SNL, you participated in the now classic Trekkie sketch (actually, one of my all time favorite SNL sketches).

Was that sketch a catharsis for you, a means of finally casting off some chains and letting the world know what you think and feel, or was it just a sketch? I am not dissing you, your work, or Trek fans, but, let's be honest here, some people do need to, in your words, "Get a life!". Do you/did you feel that way, or was it just an act? Come on, be honest..... :)

Bill:

Ok, I'll be honest. It was a laugh. Pure & simple. You should have at least been mildly amused. It seems to me that you need to get a life.

5) MPAA
by jhines0042

Concerning the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Do you consider them to be a boon or a bane to actors and actressess?

Bill:

Actually, I don't think that actors think much about MPAA. They're more concerned about AARP.

6) Galaxy Quest
by vrone

I will preface this by saying I am a mild trekkie and as such, I immensely enjoyed the 1999 film Galaxy Quest.

I think everyone who has seen Galaxy Quest will agree that the show that it is based upon is, in essence, "Star Trek". It follows that Tim Allen's Character was essentially meant to be you.

So my two part question is this: Did you enjoy the show, and, how accurate was their portrayal of life after Trek?

Bill:

Yes, I enjoyed it. I think Tim Allen was very funny. As for accuracy, not at all.

7) Time at McGill
by peg0cjs

It's fairly well known (at least here in Canada) that you attended McGill University for some time. They even went so far as to rename the Student Union building the Shatner Building.

I've heard that you were invited to the renaming ceremony, but refused to attend. I've also heard that you generally speak very poorly of your time at McGill. What was it about McGill that was so dreadful/horrible/annoying/etc that has made you so sour on the subject?

Bill:

Oh Contrare. That's French, in case you need it, for 'to the contrary.' I had a great time at McGill. I did go to a ceremony at the student union building and my feeling about McGill is that it's a great university and it produced many great students. Unfortunately, I was not one of them.

8) Nerine Shatner Memorial Fund
by Tsar

After the tragic and untimely death of your wife Nerine, a recovering alcoholic, you took the courageous step of establishing a fund in her name to benefit Friendly House, an organization for recovering alcoholics. How is that work progressing, and has your involvement with this effort helped you work through this loss?

I know that this subject must be painful for you, but I'm sure there are many in the slashdot community who would benefit from your experience and insights here.

Bill:

Thank you for asking about Nerine's fund. It benefits a rehabilitation place called Friendly House. They do wonderful work. Nerine has a rehabilitation home with her name on it and my hope and sympathy is for these recovering women.

9) Seriously...are we cool?
by CleverNickName

Hey Bill,

Are we cool, or what? I mean, I always thought you didn't like me, but I had a good time with you at Weakest Link watching the World Series.

So are we cool, or was that just pre-game strategy?

Wil

Bill:

Dear Will,

We are so cool, we're beyond cool. We are in orbit man. I don't do pre-game strategy.

I look forward to some personal time with you.

10) The balance between Hollywood and Real Life
by Geek In Training

As a normal everyday guy from Canada, it seems hard for "the public" to grasp the diparity between "Bill Shatner, age 61, three adult children, loves horses" and "Actor/Singer/Producer/Writer William Shatner blah blah blah fourth wife ... blah blah blah personal tragedy .... blah blah blah inside scoop" that Hollywood and the Tabloid press seem to turn everyone's life into.

At the end of the day, has the fame been worth the price? Is knowing that you've raised three daughters and entertained people for several decades worth the cost of your privacy? Do you feel that overall, you've gotten a fair shake, even after all the public airings of your alleged failings as a person? Are you going to continue to live in the limelight during your golden years, or settle in and call it good, letting the cards land where they may?

Do you feel you've finished your professional legacy and are ready to leave it for media history, or do you fret over whether or not that legacy is "good enough?" And the same regarding your personal legacy as a man, a husband, a father, a son? What advice can you give to others so that they don't have any regrets?

Bill:

Regret is the worst of human emotions. There is no going back with regret. There is no future with regret. Regret is not something I live with. If there is something I wished I hadn't done, I don't do it anymore or I forgive myself and try better.

My life is my statement and I try to be true to myself and thusly to other people. Whatever my failings are, they are human and I try to perfect it each day.

These are awefully short answers...

[by Anonymous Coward]

I thought he could a little more, um, effort into those answers

You're right, but...

[SweetAndSourJesus (555410)]

He's Bill Shatner. You're probably not anyone important.

That's it in a nutshell.

Re:These are awefully short answers...

[JesusPGT (624264)]

I thought he did a rather good job of answering the questions. Quick, short, and to the point. Some people don't need two or more paragraphs to reply to what is in essence, a simple question (or questions, whatever; you know what I mean.)

Re:These are awefully short answers...

[znaps (470170)]

You...forget....how....long....he....takes....to.. ....formulate....his....sentences.

Re:These are awefully short answers...

[0xdeadbeef (28836)]

No no, read them in his "Captain" voice, with full stops between words and that strange cadence, as recently portrayed in the Priceline commercial. It is much longer and more profound that way.

Well, longer anyway.

Re:These are awefully short answers...

[Anonvmous Coward (589068)]

"Instead, we got "As for accuracy, not at all." There must have been some parts that were close; at least I imagined they would be."

No no no, he was referring to the way they portrayed Spock in Galaxy Quest. They got his head all wrong.

Short Replies

[sp3c1alK (604261)]

Mr Shatner seemed a bit rushed didn't he?

Re:Short Replies

[MarkGriz (520778)]

I thought so too at first. But then I went back and reread the replies as if he were actually speaking them (in.... that slow..... and..... choppy voice).
The replies were much longer that way.

Cool interview. Good to see "Clever" chime in too.

Re:Short Replies

[kcurtis (311610)]

I think this may reflect the fact that he's less full of himself than the questions wanted him to be.

The questions wanted him to have deep thoughts about parodies, interracial kisses, etc. He just doesn't seem to be the type of guy who gives a rats ass about these topics, so his answers were short and sweet. Not like he really dodged them.

Also, it does show a pretty funny sense of humor, at his own expense.

All in all, it reinforces my image of him as a pretty straightforward guy who lives his life, and isn't a Trekkie himself.

Re:Short Replies

[Tablizer (95088)]

The questions wanted him to have deep thoughts about parodies, interracial kisses, etc. He just doesn't seem to be the type of guy who gives a rats ass about these topics, so his answers were short and sweet. Not like he really dodged them.

That was my impression of him also based on questions asked during a trek convention. He is not a "deep and ponderous" guy for the most part, but one that seems to go with the flow and enjoys the moment with energy.

The interracial kiss to him was just a great opportunity for a regular horny guy to suck a sexy face that turned out to be an historic event after the fact. (What a bonus!)

That is why my question was about who bagged the most babes back stage, not ponderings and musings about bagging babes. But some pondering-hoping shmuck modded it down the last minute. Pox on your house. Now we will never know.

Re:Short Replies

[Alsee (515537)]

my question was about who bagged the most babes back stage, not ponderings and musings about bagging babes.

Well, I don't know who was "bagging babes", but I can contribute a data point in the general direction. I'm friends with a female convention staffer and she said that George Takei (Sulu) has a reputation for partying at the hotel when he gets off duty at the Con.

Note: I'm NOT saying anything about sex. I have no idea how the parties actually go. Just saying that he seems to be a party-type-guy that enjoys hanging out with fans.

The same friend also told me Armin Shimerman (Quark) let her and a friend of her's crash out in his hotel suite because he wasn't staying there that night. He had one rule though - check out the costume if you like, just don't touch the teeth.

-

You decide for yourself.

[Saint Fnordius (456567)]

Is it amazingly cool or amazingly sad that Mssrs. Shatner and Wheaton communicate through Ask Slashdot? I dunno. I'll go with "cool for Slashdot" for now...

Re:You decide for yourself.

[Andy_R (114137)]

Dude, it's the ultimate Star Trek conversation, on the ultimate geek forum, ergo it's about as far from cool as it's possible to get without using a particle accelerator to crate an entire antimatter version of the Fonz.

Re:You decide for yourself.

[Anonvmous Coward (589068)]

"I'm starting to get the impression that telephones might not have yet been installed in the Hollywood section of California."

They've been installed and working for years, but there's a huge waiting list to get a phone number. Ever since Hollywood started using the 555 area code, they've had a shortage of numbers.

That last response...

[Viewsonic (584922)]

Was it me, or did anyone else have a mental image of Kirk sitting at his computer in a replica Enterprise captains chair wearing nothing but some undies and mouthing his response in the "Kirk Voice"?

Re:That last response...

[theperplepigg (599224)]

Was it me, or did anyone else have a mental image of Kirk sitting at his computer in a replica Enterprise captains chair wearing nothing but some undies and mouthing his response in the "Kirk Voice"?

+1 Disturbing

--paul

Shocking insight!

[brutusbuck (192303)]

I never understood the depths of this man until now. That you Bill (may I call you Bill?), your clever anecdotes and witty banter is refreshing. Great interview.

P.S. I liked you better when you were Kirk.

Re:Shocking insight!

[Mothra the III (631161)]

Next time they need to interview Deforest Kelley. I doubt it would produce much less insight than this.

Re:Shocking insight!

[Zordak (123132)]

I doubt it would produce much less insight than this.

And potentially more profanity, which would have made the interview much more interesting. I think Deforest Kelley the Irrascible Grumpy Old Man would be much cooler than William Shatner, the washed-out, bitter actor. For Example:

Shatner: Get a life.

Kelley: What the hell are you damn computer geeks doing calling me in the middle of the night* again! That show was on like 50 years ago, dammit! Can't you let an old man get some sleep!

*It is, of course, something like 4:30 in the afternoon

To WIl

[Henry V .009 (518000)]

I look forward to some personal time with you.

Is he calling you out or what, man?

How Bill Shatner responds...

[Slashdolt (166321)]

Slashdolt:
"Mr. Shatner, I was wondering blah, blah, blah, blah (5 paragraphs later). So what are your thoughts?"

Bill:
I really don't think about that very much.

Brevity taken too far?

[ajs (35943)]

That really wasn't much of an interview, and as far as I can tell, it was no fault of the Slashdot crowd. Some of the questions were very interesting and informative, but he engaged only two of them, and only as briefly as he could possibly manage (one with a link and one with a quick pat on the back to Wil).

Man, my opinion of him has always been mixed, but it went down a couple notches today!

A new winner!

[rw2 (17419)]

Finally we have someone who, upon seeing Marcelo throw down the gauntlet and declare his interview [slashdot.org] to be unbeatably bad, take the baton and run with it.

Well done Bill. Well done.

Shaddup ;)

[DarkHelmet (120004)]

CleverNickName: Are we cool, or what?

I would have paid good money to hear him go "Shut Up Wesley."

That would have been sweet.... 2/5 captains... I hope they send questions to Kate Mulgrew next week :)

This is just the way Shatner is.

[calm_rising (630750)]

I saw Bill on Letterman last year... he behaved exactly the same way. Letterman tried to get him to talk about his reputation as a bad actor, and basically he joked about it and didn't seem to care. Personally, I believe that sees this whole thing as the best joke ever. Who cares whether he's a good actor; he has a permanent career as the ex-captain Kirk, a lot of great stories, and a heck of a lot of fun. He can ham it up whenever he wants and get tons of attention from a huge community of fans. I think he knew exactly what he was doing when he recorded "The Transformed Man," when he did the SNL skit, and whatever else. He was very funny on Letterman. He's got a great sense of humor, and love it or hate it, he has a history of answering probing questions by joking around. This is not special behavior reserved for slashdot. He's just having a great time, and the whining, criticism and complaining from his "fans" are all part of the joke.

Re:This is just the way Shatner is.

[Thagg (9904)]

We worked on the movie Showtime, and I think it was among the better of Shatner's performances. He was playing himself, trying to show Robert Deniro and Eddie Murphy how to be TV cops, like he was in TJ Hooker. He's just halarious, showing how to dive onto the hood of a car, stuff like that. When he tells Rene Russo that DeNiro is "the worst actor he's ever seen", well, it was the high point in the movie.

thad

Move over Shatner, bring on Nimoy

[tigre (178245)]

Come on, we couldn't expect too much geek-wise from Shatner. He's a little too cool. Now science officer Spock, and host of "In Search Of", now HE would make a great, and quite erudite, interviewee.

Or maybe Wil could suggest some other good interviewees from amongst the Trek casts.
- Brent Spiner?
- James Doohan? Get him before he's gone. I bet he'd have tons to say about fun stuff like inventing the first Klingon words.

The best 'DAMNIT JIM!'

[ctimes2 (38940)]

"I'm a doctor, not a gynecologist... ah, well, maybe just this once..."
-- parody by Kevin Pollak (I think)

Which was funnier?

[Wateshay (122749)]

I'm not sure which I find funnier. Shatner's hillariously dry wit when answering these questions, or the fact that 90% of /. seems to be completely missing the point and taking great offense at them.

Quote of the day

[digitac (24581)]

Ok, who's the wiseass who put "He's dead, Jim." for the quote at the bottom of Slashdot?

Coincidence? I think not.

Thoughts

[Badgerman (19207)]

Seeing the "Biography" of Shatner. It's really quite informative - and it helps put the interview in context. There is a lot to the man, he's a true original.

Two quotes stand out:

These are excellent words to live by:

Regret is the worst of human emotions. There is no going back with regret. There is no future with regret. Regret is not something I live with. If there is something I wished I hadn't done, I don't do it anymore or I forgive myself and try better.

My life is my statement and I try to be true to myself and thusly to other people. Whatever my failings are, they are human and I try to perfect it each day.


And this statement, of course, should make sense to most straight men:
I think the whole interracial kiss thing has been overrated. Nichelle Nichols was a beautiful woman and her lips were full. I merely sought to make an impression.

Keep going, Bill ;)

Here Goes My Karma...

[Razzious (313108)]

I think William showed just how lame some people are. He answered the stupid questions with a precise answer. When you realize that the lame questions asked were the results of the LAME MODS that modded UP the questions, you have to wonder HOW THE HELL did WE the Slashdot Community, ask Mr. Shatner, what it was like doing an "Interracial Kiss". Come on people. I would have sent back the answers BLANK and said "come up with something legit and we can talk."

He probably thought the interview was some form of comedy relief here for /.

I think its funny that /. found an interview that was not so stuck on themselves and their accomplishments that they felt the need to KATZ every answer into some long drawn out BS line of how big something was. Can you imagine the Kiss answer if KATZ had done it? "Well when I first pondered the life-changing moment of the first interracial kiss, I felt nothing but then it begged to be asked was the real world ready for such mindbending things? I wasn't sure but felt confident that the world needed to grow up read THIS BOOK(insert some amazon book) and you will see just how behind and backwards you all are and how much you needed that interracial kiss.

Had all the questions been like the one asking about his late wife, we would all be saying man that was great. Instead we are shrugging wondering more about the man than we did before. Get out of your box or cubical and look around before you mod foolish questions in the future.

Re:Ah...

[elmegil (12001)]

Short? Yes. Rude? Where the hell did you get that idea? He mostly seems to be trying hard to be amusing, with some success.

Re:Wow --

[MaxwellStreet (148915)]

There's something to be said for brevity.

Anyway, considering that a lot of the questions that were proposed in the original "request for questions" tended to be the ones that everyone always asks; and that he has nothing to gain by divulging copious stuff to Slashdot; and that in general there were a lot of people asking questions designed to bring up (potentially) embarassing stuff from his past - I can't see why he'd go into a lot of detail for us.

I for one really appreciated the brief, but sincere, answers about his wife's foundation; and his policy on regret. Simple, clear thoughts. Nothing wrong with that.

In the spirit of Statistical fairness...

[GMontag (42283)]

In the spirit of Statistical fairness, the next interview will be with Jon Katz, thus bringing the arithmatic mean interview length back to normal.

You guys are SO charitable

[MacAndrew (463832)]

You guys are SO nice! Calling his answer "brief" is tactful. How about terse, concise, laconic, dismissive, flippant, hasty, or good old rude? (I have more suggestions, more profane.)

I could have written the replies for him -- and been more interesting. He phoned this in.

Review the Q&A and it's obvious he simply ducked most of the questions or gave his equivalent of "no comment." Only on the topic of Nerine Shatner did he seem engaged.

This confirms everything I have heard about him being a sophomoric self-centered jerk. It's disrespectful -- the editors probably spent ten times to time preparing the Q's as he did ansering them.

Yeah, I know the whole bit about how he shouldn't be chained to a role from 25 years ago, and how he really isn't blowhard James T. Kirk, but he doesn't have to give interviews, book signings, [bigwaste.com], and the like except to promote himself -- and make money. He's milked the Trek thing for every penny while complaining all the while how oppressed he is. Contrasted with actors like Patrick Stewart, by all accounts a 24/7 class act, or Avery Brooks, who wants no part of the Trek typecasting and so doesn't do the interviews, book signings, and the like. I respect either choice and not Shatner's.

I think the statute of limitations for respecting him for his past work has expired.

Re:His singing career?

[gosand (234100)]

I'm amazed no-one asked about his singing career.

Would it have mattered? He would have just given a short, uninformative answer anyway.

Honestly, this was the most boring interview on /. ever. I am no fan of Star Trek, but jeez Bill, why agree to an interview if you are just going to give these types of answers?

Re:His singing career?

[NetFu (155538)]

I think it's called:

CYA -- Cover Your Ass.

The less he says, the less likely he is to be lambasted for it for years in the future. A lot of his answers were conservative, but at the same time seemed to be just having fun.

I AM a long-time trekkie and a fan of the original series and Shatner's character Captain Kirk, but IMHO William Shatner has to be one of the most over-analyzed actors in human history. I mean, what did he REALLY do besides Star Trek and TJ Hooker (and how many people will still remember TJ Hooker in 10 more years if they even remember now)?

The truth is that Shatner is a pretty average guy in the fact that most people could probably act as well as him, he just had a big break called "Star Trek". Maybe that's why so many people grill him. I don't think he merits an interview anywhere, but that's probably why he seems to tell so many people to "get a life" -- in other words, why does anyone care about him or his life?

Re:No offense but these were some boring questions

[vidarh (309115)]

Regarding question 9, "Wil" is Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on ST:TNG Does it make more sense to you now? :)

Re:Was it just me...

[Xzzy (111297)]

> He seemed to treat this whole thing as a joke.

he's been like that for years. I don't consider myself a shatner fan and I don't put effort into following him around, but he IS a pretty big name so stories with him in it do pop up quite often.

I wouldn't say he treats everything as a joke, but rather he's got an odd mix of humility and arrogance that makes everything he says come out like it did in the above interview.

qualities the world could use more of, people who don't take themselves too seriously but also feel free to be honest about their place and station in life.

Re:Theatrical Pauses

[liquidsin (398151)]

I'm sure everyone else here will point this out to you, but CleverNickName is Wil [imdb.com] Wheaton [wilwheaton.net].

Re:In Soviet Russia...

[Schnapple (262314)]

Unless I am mistaken, it is a reference to a Russian comedian named Yakov Smirnov [yakov.com]. Back in the early 80's at the height of the Cold War he did his act in American night clubs, and a staple of the routine was to turn around some phrase, i.e. "In Soviet Russia, car drives you!" This was done to make light of the Russian government, and play on America's fear of communism.

Due to his extremely chipper demenaor and the fact that his routine rarely changed, he became an annoying cliche. In the years since the Cold War ended and stand up comedy became less popular he apparently retreated to Branson, Missouri and has a theater there.

Somewhat akin to the "all your base..." phonomeon, this "In Soviet Russia..." thing didn't become its own overused cliche until posters on FARK [fark.com], the Slashdot of weird journalism, started adding Smirnov into their Photoshop contests, along with Admiral "It's A Trap!" Ackbar, the squirrel with the giant nuts, and that kitten that dies when you masrutbate.

Re:In Soviet Russia...

[Twirlip of the Mists (615030)]

Weeping Jesus on the cross. Umpty-teen answers, and not one of 'em got the original reference right. "Car drives you?" That's not funny; that's just stupid.

The original joke was about television in the USSR. (The USSR being a totalitarian dictatorship, natch.) "Soviet Union isn't that different from America," the joke goes. "Only difference is, in Soviet Union, TV watches you!"

Now y'all all fight over whether I should be moderated +1 Informative, or +1 Funny. ;-)

Answered as asked

[Oculus Habent (562837)]

Many of the questions didn't warrant long answers. He could have gone into long personal detail about the favorite parody, but he wasn't asked "why?"...

Perhaps Mr. Shatner didn't feel like relating his life story for #7, and what more would you have him say to #9?

The answers were much like answers on any typical television interview, they were to the point.

The interview would have beet better, perhaps, if it was longer, but that is a Slashdot limitation, probably out of respect for the interviewees. It was a glimpse, just a glimpse, though, at a man.

I for one enjoyed it.

Re:French approximation :-)

[asmussen (2306)]

How much more French could you possibly want to know?

Re:French approximation :-)

[by Anonymous Coward]

Well, to be complete you'd also need to know:

I surrender!

and

Deodorant? I don't need any deodorant!

and

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of eldeberries!

Re:French approximation :-)

[Ponty (15710)]

With English spelling, like Perl, there is often more than one way to do it. But with French, as I understand it, if you misspell something (or, god forbid, mispronounce it) they throw cheese at you then surrender preemptively.

Re:French approximation :-)

[by Anonymous Coward]

then surrender preemptively

You're thinking of France french, not Canadian french, which is an entirely different kettle of poutine. We make derisive comments about the strength of your beer (or lack thereof), then don't show up for the fight.

Re:French approximation :-)

[by Anonymous Coward]

Not only are you in a "Star Trek punk rock band", you "know the statistics on these things" - and to cap it all you're the bass player.

I'm crying for you - honestly!

Re:Not that cool...

[Jahf (21968)]

As has been mentioned before, it was an audio interview. Shatner didn't mispell a thing because he didn't type it ... it was /. that mispelled (assuming they knew who he was talking about ;)