J.J. Abrams, collector of cult audiences with his creations that include "Lost," "Heroes," "Fringe" (and that great misunderstood monster movie "Cloverfield") has now taken on the mother of all cult audiences: "Star Trek."
In his new anticipated blockbuster, which opened Thursday, Abrams goes back to the childhoods of Spock and James T. Kirk, creating a prequel that the trekkie and the trek-phobic can both cheer.
The AJC wedged in an interview with the director between television appearances.
Q: This movie is Star Trek 11, but we notice you left off the number. Are you trying to pretend the other movies didn't happen?
A: "This is its own thing. It's a re-start. The key thing for me is for people to know that you never have to have seen any 'Star Trek' to see this movie."
Q: What was your first experience with "Star Trek"?
A: "I remember being in elementary school and there was a kid who just loved it. ... I watched the show a couple of times."
Q: Did he smell bad and sit by himself at lunch?
A: "This guy was actually not an uncool guy. He was a regular kid, he played sports. ... I remember that I didn't connect with it."
Q: Then "Star Wars" came along.
A: "When 'Star Wars' came out, it blew my mind; it was awe-inspiring. It not only did what any great story does, which was introduce relatable characters who are thrust into extraordinary situations, but unlike 'Star Trek' it gave you a ground floor entry point into who the people were. And it was funny."
Q: How do you compete with that?
A: "It's not about a competition between the two ... In my head I felt like I was a little bit paralyzed by the brilliant work of George Lucas and his team. The reason I ended up taking on this movie as a director is that when I read the script the story was so much fun; the characters were so much fun. The comedy of it for me was great. I thought, 'My gosh, I kind of love these people.' "
Q: In the early seasons of "Heroes" viewers said Zach Quinto (Sylar) looked like Spock. Did this make you cast him as young Spock?
A: "I did not cast him only because he looked like him, but it did not hurt that when he walked in, I almost gasped at the eerie similarity between him and Nimoy. That had an impact."
Q: Plus he was willing to shave off his eyebrows.
A: "Right. I told him, 'They'll grow back.' Then I asked [the producer] 'They will grow back, won't they?' "
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