Quinto on the money

Quinto also plays the recurring character of a gay ghost on the television series American Horror Story. Probably the highlight of his career thus far has been meeting Leonard Nimoy.

“Leonard and I have become good friends,” he says.

How does he observe that Nimoy has endured the years as Spock?

“I think he has evolved incredibly gracefully. He lives an incredibly full life and is a really happy man,” he says.

“It’s great to know him. He’s a world traveller, an avid art enthusiast and collector and photographer and artist himself. He’s constantly working, constantly challenging himself. I should hope to have half as good a fortune and experience as he has.”

Source: The West Australian

Zachary Quinto: Star Man
9.12.2012
By Aaron Hicklin

For millions of Americans, Quinto was being entrusted with one of sci-fi’s most cherished icons. He didn’t let them down. Quinto’s performance as Spock was pitch-perfect, almost uncanny, with unexpected grace notes of fallibility. A global smash for Paramount, Star Trek gave new life to the 40-year-old franchise and propelled Quinto into the first rank of celebrity. A highly anticipated sequel, set to open next May, wrapped this summer. Quinto says the new movie is more physically challenging than the last, although one suspects that Spock’s stunted emotional range could feel limiting for an actor of Quinto’s expressiveness.

“Tell me about it, man,” he sighs. “Whereas other actors will be doing scenes, and will be given, like, 25 takes, after I do five takes with that character, it’s, ‘OK.’ ” He claps his hands with finality.

One unexpected and happy consequence of playing Spock has been Quinto’s relationship with Leonard Nimoy, who had a cameo in the 2009 film. “I have such deep admiration and love for him,” Quinto says. “He’s an incredible man, and I’m so grateful that not only did I have this amazing creative experience, but that I developed this relationship with Leonard and his wife, Susan -- we go to dinner, we hang out, we go to the theater, we spend time together.”

There’s something endearing in the specter of Spock the Elder taking Spock the Younger under his wing, and I’m reminded of a line in Star Trek, when Nimoy offers his young doppelgänger the sage advice to “put away logic, do what feels right.” It sounds like the kind of dictum that Quinto has taken to heart, both as an activist stumping for Obama’s re-election and as an actor who is making increasingly interesting and eclectic choices.

Source: Out, page 2

Zachary Quinto is more than a little bummed that Leonard Nimoy won't be returning to the "Star Trek" franchise.

The newest "Spock" told us that it took a personal plea from J.J. Abrams to get Nimoy out of retirement the first time - and Quinto admits that he thinks it would take a lot more for a repeat.

"I think I might have to ask him this time," the actor joked at the N.Y.C. premiere of "Breaking Upwards" at the IFC Film Center on Thursday night.

"There's not even a script and Leonard just announced his retirement -- he's not going to do another movie," Quinto said during WET Production's "Stars Give Love" benefit performance of short plays last night at the Lower East Side's Angel Orensanz Foundation.

"Frankly, Leonard has got a mind of his own and he's going to do what he wants regardless of what other people tell him. I'm just glad that he's my friend."

How was it to face 6,000 fans at Comic-Con alongside Leonard Nimoy?

I don’t think I realized how big it would be until it happened. It was emblematic, something that we capture better when we’re looking back than when we’re experiencing it. Even so, I was very calm, in my mind it all made sense. I have to say that realizing that we can do what we set ourselves out to do and seeing the reaction it causes in other people is a lesson in humbleness.

Since you were cast to be Spock in Star Trek, it’s impossible not noticing the physical similarity between you and Nimoy. Did you think at any given moment that it was final for your choice?

I don’t think it was the reason, and I never thought I looked particularly like Leonard. But what’s scary is that, after taking the role, I noticed how some photos of mine as a child were simply identical to Leonard… (laughs) It’s the way the world tells us some important things, I guess…

Leonard was surprised too?

I’ll tell you something, I first met him in the elevators at Comic-Con, minutes before we went on stage and faced the crowd you mentioned earlier. It was literally the first time we saw each other. We were both in the elevator, and I froze, I had no idea what to tell him, I simply introduced myself, very formal. When we were about to go on stage, he touched my shoulder and said “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, boy,” smiled and went on. Then I can say that I had the honor of becoming his friend, which fills me with pride.

Zachary Quinto is SPOCK OF VULCAN

For research, Quinto and Nimoy "spent a fair amount of time getting to know each other and talking before I started shooting," the actor says, "and in all that time, I was also doing my own stuff. Leonard and I watched two Spock-centric episodes together - "Amok Time" was one of them - and we talked about the character and the experience of shooting them. Most of my work was done on my own - a lot of research and reading - or with Leonard before we started shooting.

"While we were shooting the movie, I would watch old episodes of the show in my trailer when I was hanging out in there, just to keep me rooted in the specificity and uniqueness of the world."

Quinto admits that the scene between the two Spocks at the close of the film is a bit of a lollipop for the fans, seeing the two iterations of the franchise embodied together. "When I saw the movie, it felt like a nice button on Spock's journey," he says. "It was good. That was one of those examples of really shooting out of sequence - we shot that really early in the schedule. It would have been interesting to see what it would have been like if it had actually come to the end of the shoot rather than at the beginning. There was a lot going on in the scene, and a lot to really connect to, with Leonard in the same proximity."

The actor never felt constrained having Nimoy appear in the movie. "No, I only felt supported really," he maintains."Leonard was very clear about that the whole time. I never felt constrained or scrutinized - I just felt encouraged and supported. It's interesting when you watch the movie: I really feel that Leonard brings such a history to this character, and it's so almost inexorably tied with who he is. It's really nice to see, because I don't bring that with my relationship to the character. But when I saw it, it made so much sense that my version of Spock would evolve into his.

"I hope that's the case in my life. I hope when I'm Leonard's age, I have the same kind of life experience, and I have half a rich a life as he does. It was really hopeful for me as a person: maybe I can be that cool some day. That was the feeling that having him in the movie engendered in me, both while we were shooting it and then subsequently - and that's a really nice feeling." (more)

Zach has always somewhere in his heart that he was going to play this role. We did see a couple of other guys. Zach was one of the first guys put on tape - we didn't put that many on because, truly, once Zachary Quinto did it, we knew he was Spock.

When we were just beginning to work on the movie , I was working with another casting director friend of mine, Mark Scott, and we had poor Zach do it 12 different ways - we didn't know what we were looking for, really. We didn't know if we wanted the controlled Spock, or the Spock where we see his human side. We played with a million ways and just showed J.J. everything.

Zach's physicality was a huge part of it, because he looks so much like Leonard Nimoy when he was young. In fact there are a couple of scenes in the gag reel where they're laughing together, and it's freaky.

EXCL: Sylar Speaks! Zachary Quinto Talks 'Heroes' and Spock

As I was watching "Heroes" and prepping for this interview I thought it was amazing just how much the show is similar to "Star Trek", especially with Masi's character Hiro and his constant references to the show. On top of that you have George Takei on the show and now Nichelle Nichols is joining the cast.

ZQ: Yeah, and I like that, it further strengthens the auspiciousness of all of these experiences and these people coming together. I think the message of "Star Trek" and the message of "Heroes" is the overwhelmingly optimistic message about humanity and its capacity to evolve and survive and to hold itself accountable considering the state of things. We live in a world where that is imminently necessary. It is nice to be a part of those things.

I don't think it is by mistake; you are drawn to the kinds of experiences you are meant to have, and I am really glad I am meant to have these ones. You know?

Yeah, it just seemed totally coincidental, as I am watching I am seeing all these Spock references and comments and I am thinking to myself "I am about to interview the guy that is going to be Spock."

ZQ: Yeah, in my own journeys to the role of Spock there have been my own little idiosyncrasies as well.

"Heroes" was honored at the TV Land Awards as a future TV classic and we went to the awards show last April 14th. I went to the event and we are sitting down and saying hi to everybody and as they were talking about preparation for the show to start they came out and said, "This award will be presented to you guys toward the end of the show by Leonard Nimoy and Luke Wilson." My audition for Spock was the next morning on April 15th.

So we got this award, went up on stage, I walked down the stairs behind Leonard, I said hi to him. Obviously I didn't engage him in a conversation about my audition because I didn't think it was the appropriate setting or time to do that. Little things like that along the way and just the connections between Tim Kring and Damon [Lindelof], and their history of working together there were just a lot of little things along the way that sort of supported the notion of it. It's pretty remarkable to look at it from my perspective.

Source: Rope of Silicon