#just stocking

Star Trek deals with outer space. How interested are you in this topic? 

ZACHARY QUINTO: I am interested in space travel. More in theory than in practice. It’s amazing that we will now be able to travel into space as normal human beings. I still have trouble getting my head around this.

Did you have a concern as an actor in connecting yourself to a character that is larger than life?

Not really. I mean don’t get me wrong. I have a ton of respect for Spock and Leonard Nimoy who, by the way, I have become good friends with over the last couple of years. And I think what helped us too was the fact that there were four years in between the first one and this one. It did give us some time to pause and do something else in between.

Did you get to hang out with him this time around as well?

Oh, yes. Leonard and I like to spend time together. He is just like all the other guys - very passionate. He showed me all the memorabilia he has collected over the years. He just donated some of his archive to Boston University. He had a lot of stuff at home.

Are you planning on keeping your own archive now?

I found the notion to have an archive - to be able to donate it later - quite interesting. I am more the guy who doesn’t keep stuff too long. But Leonard made me aware that it might be a good idea to start saving some of the things. I have now started. I might have saved one or two pairs of Spock’s ears.

How do you feel about coming back for a second one?

This doesn’t feel prohibitive or limiting in any way. It actually feels quite comfortable to come back to something that we created together and are now recreating. I feel very excited about this new movie.

Do you have any influence on the look of your character?

No, not really. That’s one of the coolest things to watch is the realization of this world they created.  There are almost a 1,000 people working on this film. Michael Kaplan is an amazing costume designer. And Scott Chambliss is a genius production designer.

How was it for you working with J.J. Abrams?

I think the way he works is just an incredible way to work, and I have a lot of respect for it. It’s not scary to work with a guy who knows exactly what he is doing. It doesn’t happen so often for actors to work with a guy like that. There might be three to five directors in the studio system that have the freedom that J.J. has.

How would you describe the relationship between Kirk and Spock in this film?

There is a scene in this film where Spock is so committed and bound by the rules that he is willing to give his life. And at the same time Kirk is contemplating to radically change the rules to save his friend. That was very satisfying for me. It shows how their friendship is really growing in this movie.

How physical was this role for you?

For me this was crazy. I worked out for the first movie. But there was a whole new level for me for this one. I really had to get in shape.

How different do you look in this second film?

It’s fascinating to see how different we all look in this one. I can’t believe I look like a child version of the character in the first one. Now we are a little more experienced, and we have really grown over the last five years.

Everybody seems to be very fascinated by your hair. There is speculation whether you are wearing a wig in the movie. Can you clarify this for the fans?

Yes, I can. It’s all my own hair in this film. No wigs for Spock!