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EPK Interview with Zachary Quinto Recorded on October 15, 2015

Question: How has it been transitioning to working with

Justin after working with J.J. on the first two films?

Zach (15:43:20:04): It’s been great. Justin is kind of a

totally different energy than JJ, but is no less confident

in his visual point of view and perspective. It’s been great

to work with a new director on this film. I really respected

how he’s come in and allowed us to maintain all of our

connections to each other and to our characters, but really

take the energy of the franchise in new and exciting

directions. It’s been really cool to see.

Question: Simon is not only acting, he’s writing. John and

Chris both loved the ideas because he knows the characters

and he knows you guys. What’s your perspective on that?

Zack (15:44:03:09): It’s been a good exchange. Losing JJ,

who was a kind of glue for us from the beginning, but

gaining Simon, who not only has a long history with the

franchise as a fan, but also a very close relationship with


each of us. It’s been a really good ballast. Simon has

become a kind of figurehead among us as the cast in his

advanced age. And as a writer on this movie it has been

really exciting to collaborate with him and Doug also – has

been really incredible. Doug Jung, his partner on this, has

been great and really involved and really supportive and

open to the ideas that we all have, which is nice the third

time around.

Question: The movie takes place two to three years after

ST:ID. Can you talk a little about where your character is

out?

Zach (15:45:03:03): The journey of Spock in this movie is

really defined by one particular incident and I think he is

sort of in a limbo at the beginning, with his relationship

with Uhura, he’s in a limbo with regard to where he wants to

put his energies and focus and what he wants to do to serve

the greater good. And then through the course of this story,

one specific incident really throws that into a kind of


question for himself, and he spends a lot of the film

reckoning with that.

Question: The Enterprise has had a rough life over the last

three films.

Zach (15:45:56:16): Well, she’s put out of her misery in

this one, so there is that. Yeah, I mean, there is something

really spectacular about that and shocking, and I think it’s

indicative at this 50th anniversary line of demarcation, an

acknowledgement of taking all of these stories in different

directions entirely and kind of erasing the tethers that may

have held it into a certain place, or kept it on a certain

track. Which is always a bold thing to do and I think plays

really well. The structure of this film is really different

than the other ones. There’s unusual pairings of characters

in this film and the story follows individual stories, as

opposed to one over-arching story. Of course, it’s all

feeding into one over arching story, but I think the

destruction of the Enterprise is part of that and allows us


to reset in a kind of different way, where all these

characters end up at the conclusion of this story.

Question: You mentioned the idea of multiple strands of

action happening to the characters. Can you talk about Bones

and Spock working together?

Zach (15:47:12:18): Well, Bones and Spock are historically

really diametrically opposed. Whereas I think Kirk and Spock

are kind of two sides of the same coin, Bones and Spock are

just about as different as you can be and still be very

intelligent and very thoughtful and committed to their work,

but just from entirely different modes of operation. And so

in this film they need to find some common ground and really

show up for one another in a way that we’ve never seen them

do before. And that was really exciting. I love working with

Karl - he’s hilarious and brings such a life to the role of

Bones that it was really great fun to spend a lot of my time

with him on this movie.


Question: How is Spock different in this film than in the

previous two you did with J.J.?

Zach (15:48:17:10): I think he’s more human in this film

than he’s been in the others and that’s, you know – in the

first film he was struggling with feelings of anger,

obviously, and in the second film he was really put in the

position where he had to fight for his crew in a very real

and physical way. This film is just, I think it’s just the

quietest most emotional version of him. I think a lot of

this has to do with the energy and the injury and the

depletion of his energy. But my favorite Spock moments in

this movie have definitely been the quietest, most intimate

- private ones almost. I really enjoyed that aspect of this

movie.

Question: The villains in the film are new villains that

have a very defined philosophy than what we’ve seen before.

What’s your take on this move away from the traditional Trek

villains like Klingons and Romulans and Khan?


Zach (15:49:19:08): I think it’s interesting, I think all of

the villains in our movies - the three that we’ve done -

have all been motivated by a sense of revenge and a sense of

exacting some kind of justice that they see that is either

narcissistic or at least self-absorbed. So, I think that’s

similar for this story. I actually exist pretty peripherally

on that world. I didn’t work with Idris, unfortunately very

much at all, except just one or two days, and I’m not really

involved in that story line. So I think it’s true to the

kind of optimism that Star Trek represents, as opposed to

the kind of destructive, megalomaniacal, willful persecution

of other innocent people. And us, as a crew, working against

that and working to prevail in the face of that.

Question: After 50 years, why is Trek still popular and

relevant to the culture at large? What are the bedrock ideas

embedded in it that keeps it fresh for audiences?

Zach (15:50:47:08): Because I think it has incredible faith


in humanity at it’s core, and I think that Gene Roddenberry

really envisioned a future where humanity comes together

and, not only sets differences aside, but actually embraces

differences and evolves as a result of embracing those

differences and learning from them, and respecting them and

honoring them in one another. I think that is an ideal that

we can really use a dose of. I’ve always said this, but

being a part of this particular franchise, which has that

message at it’s core, is something that I feel very grateful

for. It’s a pretty complex and unstable world that we live

in right now, so I feel like the idea of everyone laying

down their resistance to one another and their judgments of

one another and their hatred for one another, and coming

together for the greater good is really the only thing

that’s going to steer us to any level of survival through

the complications and the catastrophes that lie ahead for us

as a human race, whether they are manmade or natural. So I

think that’s a big part of it and it’s fun. It’s funny, it’s

got a sense of humor, it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Gene Roddenberry really understood the balance of that in a


lot of ways, and I think JJ and now Simon and Doug, and the

evolution of it has gone even more in that direction.

Question: There’s a great scene at the end of the film

where Bones gets to be an action hero with Spock as they

beam aboard a swarm ship and help pave the way for Krall’s

ultimate destruction. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Zach (15:52:52:02): Well, I don’t think I’ve ever been more

of an action hero than I was in Into Darkness. My action

level got turned way down in this movie, which I was totally

fine with. I had a great time doing that stuff as well, but

I was happy to sort of hand the reins to Karl. But I think

there is a lot (interrupted by work)

Question: [Returning to question about Karl]

Zach (15:53:02:10): Yeah, I think there’s a huge bunch of

action. You know, that’s the thing, all of us are on our own

journeys in this movie, and I know that the ultimate


conflict between Kirk and Krall is an epic sort of battle

akin to the one at the end of Into Darkness between Spock

and Khan, and we are supporting that and doing our own

things, Spock and Bones. And it was great fun, it was fun to

fly around in those tiny little ships and shoot all that

stuff and have some close quarters combat and stuff, but for

me it was less a part of my experience in this movie. Maybe

Karl felt like he was, I don’t know, kicking some ass. Good

for him, he did, he’s good at it.

Question: Early in the film, Spock and Uhura decide to

split up. Can you talk about choice and how it impacted your

portrayal of Spock?

Zach (15:55:13:22): I would say that it is part of what

Spock is really weighing in the movie, is his commitment to

the Vulcan race and the rebuilding of it, and realizing that

his relationship with Uhura, if fully consummated and

leading to children, wouldn’t do that. And I think he

recognized that he had to honor his own path and that she


couldn’t be a part of it and she set him free. I think it

was all good. I doubt they’ll stay apart for long, I don’t

know. Maybe I’m wrong. We’ll see.

Question: This film acknowledges the passing of Leonard

Nimoy through the passing of Ambassador Spock. Can you talk

about your memories of Leonard?

Zach (15:56:06:00): I mean, I’ve said a lot about Leonard

and his loss and obviously it was a really difficult thing

for me in particular, because we were very close and we were

friends to the end. But I was really grateful for how the

film honors him. When I spoke earlier about some of my

favorite moments being the quietest ones, that’s what its

all about for me. So I was happy to be, to kind of focus on

that. Because for me it’s really important to continue to

honor him and to carry him with me both personally and

creatively, in terms of my relationship with this role. And

I feel a sense of responsibility now that I guess I didn’t

have to in the last two movies as much. But to carry on the


legacy of one of the most recognizable characters, not only

in science fiction, but in the history of our popular

culture. That never really dawned on me, or the magnitude of

that never really registered on me before because it didn’t

need to. He carried that mantle and handed it to me, but the

process of handing it to me was a long and really enjoyable

one over the last 8 years and to have it reach that point of

his departure of the earth was definitely a profound moment

in a lot of ways, for all of us I’m sure, but I know

specifically for me. I do believe that Simon and Doug did a

really fantastic job and I think he would’ve been really

proud and grateful and probably a little bit embarrassed.

But I think in the end it’s a fitting tribute to him and I’m

very glad that it’s addressed and as you said very

gracefully so.

Question: There is this moment early in the movie when we

learn that Sulu has a family and that he’s gay. What are

your thoughts about what is essentially a new choice that is

pretty bold?


Zach (15:58:31:09): Yeah, I don’t know that I’m really, or

that I really agree with it so I don’t know that I should

really talk about it. I talked to Simon about it and nobody

came to really ask my opinion other than sort of, creatively

among the cast. Jon and I talked about it and Simon and I

talked about it, but I don’t, from what I understand. I

don’t know. I think George wasn’t happy about it, so I think

that should’ve been taken into consideration and you know,

I’m sure none of this is going to end up on the EPK, so,

whatever, but I don’t necessarily think I’m the one to ask

about that.

Question: Let’s talk about some of the HODs on this film.

What’s been your experience working on the sets that Tom

Sanders designed?

Zach (15:59:18:14): Yeah, these sets were epic. They were

really immersive and, you know, like in the last two movies

when were on the Enterprise, we would definitely do that 3-


2-1 sort of lurching in one direction while the camera

lurches in the other direction. These sets were all on

gimbals and hydraulics, and it was really impressive and fun

to work on them. When we were in Vancouver they build this

crazy set, Krall’s bases in this quarry, which was just

massive. One of the biggest things I’ve seen and I was very

impressed by the atmospheric complexity of what the sets

brought to this film. And that combined with Justin’s nimble

vision and camera sensibility, I think is really going to be

a dynamic for the audience to get sucked into.

Question: Sanja Hays faced a huge challenge handling the

costumes for this film. Can you talk about your observations

of her work?

Zach (16:00:25:23): I think there’s just a general kind of

retro vibe going on in this film, maybe that has to do with

the correlation of the 50th Anniversary and such, but I

definitely feel like there is this return to some of the

nature of the original vision of the franchise. But yet,


modernized and very subtle and also catered to this world,

but it’s been interesting to see all that come together. Our

costumes are a little bit different and have a little bit

more of a retro feel. and I think it sort of bleeds into

other ways of the sets and the Franklin and some of the

weapons and stuff. I think it’s been great to work with

Sanja. I really enjoyed her. I know she’s had a not easy

task here in Dubai outfitting so many background actors. So

it’ll be interesting to see it all come together.

Question: For the 50th anniversary Joel Harlow was tasked

with creating 50 unique alien races for the film. What’s

your take on how he’s done?

Zach: (16:01:36:12) I rolled up to set yesterday, I had to

come to get a haircut and I was like “Did I get fired? Who

is that guy over there that looks exactly like Spock” and it

was Joel in his garb, it was so funny. So many of the crew

on this movie, have been able to, because we needed to

populate York town, and so many of the crew have enjoyed


kind of throwing on these masks and Vulcan ears and stuff.

It’s been great to see them all having fun. Although of all

the places you should have to put on any kind of a mask, the

110-degree heat of Dubai doesn’t seem like the most

opportune. But it’s been cool to see that, the

participation, the kind of sense of camaraderie through not

only the cast but also the crew has been pretty strong on

this one.

Question: You go through your own makeup every morning.

Knowing what you know about that, what are thoughts about

what all of these other aliens are going through?

Zach (16:02:41:13): I’m glad it’s not me. (laughs) I’m just

kidding. I mean I’m not kidding actually. I’ve thought that

I had a really intense makeup process, you know, when I’m

getting my ears and my eyebrows on and doing up my hair

every day, but it’s nothing compared to what Idris had to go

through, what Sofia had to go through. And they’re

remarkable. First of all, their levels of patience and


endurance are almost inhuman, but also the work that Joel

and his team has done on this film is really mind-blowing,

and it’s all done with such care and unity among that

special FX makeup crew. I’ve really, really been impressed

and incredibly grateful that I get to sit in his chair every

day and he’s the one that takes care of me, with Felix Fox,

who works by his side on my makeup and it’s been really,

it’s been a great part of this one. Because it’s definitely

been different. I think they have more alien, more practical

aliens in this movie than in the other ones combined. So uh,

it’s been really cool, that part.

Question: Having been Spock in two movies already, do you

feel different when you get into makeup. Does having those

ears and the eyebrows and the hair sort of trigger something

for you?

Zach (16:03:55:20): When I come back to the film, after not

having done it in a couple of years, yes, something happens

to me you know. This time it’s a little bit different for


me. I wore a wig in this movie and I’ve never worn a wig

before. But my hair wasn’t long enough when we started

shooting in June to do the whole cut, so I had to wear a wig

and that changed the process a little bit. And by now like,

I basically do my own eyebrows. Joel is there with me and

were sort of working through it together but because I’ve

done it every day that we’ve been doing the movies over the

last years, it’s easier for me to kind of get there. Because

its a painful and tedious process to shave my eyebrows. So

it’s been interesting to kind of take more participation in

the original emergence of the character at the beginning of

the shoot. And then every day, it just depends on the work

we’re doing, what my kind of vibe is in the makeup chair and

how I deal with the time that I’m in there. But they’ve

really got it down. The makeup used to take almost three

hours with the hair included, and they’ve gotten it down to

2, 2-1/2 hours really. It’s pretty impressive. So to work

with a new team, as we have in this film - makeup and hair -

sometimes there’s a little bit of trepidation about well

like, it’s not what it used to be, it’s not what I’m used


to. But it was awesome. Really great.

Question: What parts of this film are you most excited to

see in their finished form?

Zach (16:05:37:04): I think the crash and the destruction of

the Enterprise, is something I’m, you know. When I saw Into

Darkness, like I was there, I was there a lot, I was

filming, I was shooting those sequences, I was in those

sequences, and yet when I saw them on the screen there were

moments where I was like, I have no idea how they were

actually able to do this. I feel like this whole movie for

me, because it’s such a different kind of world and Justin

is such a different energy, I think the whole process is

going to be actually kind of mind-boggling to see it come to

life. I’ll be very interested to see how it all shapes up.

Question: How has Dubai been for you and how was it

different than you imagined?


Zach (16:06:24:11): It has not been different than I

imagined. I’ve been told by many people that Dubai is like

Vegas and I - Vegas is my least favorite place on the face

of the Earth. So I came to Dubai with a little bit of, you

know, what’s this gonna be? I’ve had some great experiences

here, and we as a cast have enjoyed each other and our time

together, as we do no matter where we are in the world. Um,

but Dubai is a really. It’s a very impressive place. It’s a

very, it’s epically huge and, um, yeah. I mean. Yeah.

(laughs).

Question: It’s epically huge.

Zach (16:07:02:21): Dubai is a place in the desert, which is

epically huge. It’s been great, yeah I mean, I can’t. Yeah.

Question: Last question - are there moments in this film

that look back on and laugh at and remember fondly?

Zach (16:07:42:03): I’ve never worked with a group of people


that I love more than my castmates in this film. They are,

they’re actually - all we do is laugh, and it’s sad to end

the process and the experience, but it’s exciting to know

that we’re all moving on to other stuff. I mean, I just

think of my time with them as really one of the greatest

gifts that I’ve been given in my career and, the fact that

we are friends and family and in each other’s lives and

would just be there for each other through anything, it’s

such a great feeling. To get to do what we do at this level,

to have the opportunities that we have creatively and

professionally, and to get to do it with people that we love

so much, is uh, its all one big fuzzy, warm, smiley memory

for me. Um, but in terms of uh, the work itself, I feel

like, I feel like some of that swarm ship stuff in the end

was pretty cool and I’ll be really interested to see how it

plays out once all the visual effects are added, you know?

We did some wire-work with Spock, sort of grabbing Kirk

right at the end of the film, and that to me was like, “Wow

we were doing it.” Chris and I both were like, this is nuts.

And that was our last day in Vancouver to see how that pans


out will be interesting. I’m just excited to, I’m really

more than anything else, I’m just excited to be a part of

the celebration of what this franchise is, what it

represents and who the people are that are responsible for

it. The Gene Roddenberrys and the Leonard Nimoys and the

visionary contributors who are our forebearers and that -

we’re doing everything we can to honor the work and

hopefully we’ll do that.

Question: There’s a scene early in the film where you and

Chris are running at breakneck speed and reciting a huge

amount of complex dialogue. Do you enjoy being stretched to

the limit like that – physically and mentally – as an actor?

Zach (16:10:18:02): Sure, yeah. It’s a great challenge to

what we do. And I think, I like that aspect of this

character and also this iteration of Spock, which is

different from previous iterations, where he is more active,

he’s more, he exerts more energy and yet still has to

communicate these very complicated ideas in a very logical,


systematic kind of way. I like the duality of that. But

again, in terms of the physical exertion, It was like, I

would say maybe 10-20% of the physical exertion that I had

in the last movie, so for me, the work was very different.

It was based in something very different this time, and uh,

I remember that day you were talking about, and uh, you

know, I just wanted to make sure that I got everything out

before I got to the end of the hallway. But I think it

worked out in the end. We’ll see I guess, thanks!

Question: During your down time on the set, I noticed that

you play banjo. Can you talk about that?

Zach (16:11:24:23): I think there is so much time on set

that, that is just down time, and I decided a couple of

years ago when I was starting a new job that I wanted to

give myself something, some kind of structure and some kind

of other creative outlet that I could pick up and put down

and use as a kind of dissipator of other energy, like

frustration or boredom or - so I decided to start playing


the banjo and I kind of don’t go very many places without it

anymore. I’m still not very good, but I enjoy it. It’s very

meditative for me and when we’re sitting around for hours on

end, it’s much easier for me to do something like that than

to - I find it difficult to read on set, because reading is

such an immersive experience - whether its reading a script

or reading a novel or reading an article, like, you want to

be able to go and see it through. But our schedule on set

doesn’t allow that because you never know when they’re going

to come and say “We need you now”, or you have to go here

so, for me I found music a valuable outlet and also

something that allows me to kind of disengage and focus, but

also be able to put it right down. I hope it wasn’t too

annoying for everybody as we got into things.

Question: What kind of music do you like to play?

Zach 916:12:58:13): I play bluegrass style now, but I’m

certainly open to clawhammer and that’s sort of another

realm that I haven’t even approached yet. I feel like there


is so much more to learn and it’s such a complicated

instrument, so I feel like I can really get along. Like I

didn’t bring it today, for example. Because today the work

is a little more intense, so I left it at home. But when

we’re doing stuff, where it’s like all of us, and were just

saying like “Captain, the ship is approaching” and we’re

pushing buttons and it’s more technical and it’s more, then

it’s like a great thing to have, but I don’t know.

Question: People seemed to naturally enjoy the sound of a

banjo. Why did you think that is?

Zach (16:14:03:21): People seem to, as I said, I’m no Steve

Martin, but people seem to enjoy it. It’s a happy

instrument, it makes people feel like, “Oh” - it’s what made

me want to start playing, it just brings a smile I feel

like, even if you’re playing a sad song.

Question: We have some great footage of you playing.


Zach (16:14:29:01): I’m sure you have footage of that right.

I bet you do.

Web viewI play bluegrass style now, but I’m certainly open to clawhammer and that’s sort...

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