Interviews
Simon Pegg Interview For ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
May 9th
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.
Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), John Cho (Sulu), Bruce Greenwood (Christopher Pike), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Bones), and Anton Yelchin (Pavel Chekov) reprise their roles from the 2009 ‘Star Trek’ original, with new parts for the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Noel Clarke, Nazneen Contractor and Peter Weller. ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ is directed by J.J. Abrams with a script by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof. The film is opening on May 9th in the UK, while the film bows in the US on May 17th. The May 9th opening date will see the film in IMAX 3D, 3D and 2D theaters. ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ will arrive in US IMAX theaters from May 15th.
Do you remember the moment when you first found out you were doing ‘Star Trek’?
Simon Pegg: I sat down because I got an email from J.J., I’d just landed from a flight to New York and I opened my phone and the first email that popped up was from J.J. and it just said, “Do you want to play Scotty?” I was totally aware of the project and was very excited about it and I thought it would be great. I didn’t for a second expect to be involved (laughs). So, when I got that very straight forward and blunt kind of request I literally sat down and asked the plane to take off again so I could think about it. To be honest, I was like, “What do I say? I can’t just say ‘yes’. It feels like we should have some kind of romance. Can I be on tape or something or maybe we could go out for dinner and have a movie and then I might say ‘yes’, you never know?” I felt like kind of a slut just saying ‘yes’. So, I took three days of pretending to think about it. I was like, this is such a huge commitment and I asked whether we’d be doing it for a long time. But J.J. said, “The worst thing that could happen is that every couple of years we’d get to spend some time together and have a lot of fun.”
Leonardo DiCaprio Interview For Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gatsby’
May 9th
‘The Great Gatsby’ follows F. Scott Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, in the midst of the roaring twenties, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, he tells a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.
Baz Luhrmann directs the ‘The Great Gatsby’ from a screenplay co-written with frequent collaborator Craig Pearce, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel of the same name. Lead by Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, ‘The Great Gatsby’ also stars Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, Joel Edgerton and Carey Mulligan as Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke as Myrtle and George Wilson, newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker, and Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan as Meyer Wolfsheim. ‘The Great Gatsby’ arrives in cinemas on May 10th in the US and Canada, with an international rollout on May 15th (May 16th in the UK).
“I wouldn’t ask too much of her, you can’t repeat the past.” “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” For me, that’s one of the standout lines in the book and the film, and it says a lot about Gatsby….
Leonardo DiCaprio: Yeah. Well, I think we all have a little bit of Gatsby in us. We all get nostalgic for a certain time period in our lives. Gatsby’s this eternal, hopeful dreamer… but he’s also delusional in a lot of ways, you know? Daisy represents this time period in his life, she is this green light, she is this mirage, she doesn’t really exist in reality. Nick is the only one in this movie and story who really sees Gatsby and reality for what it is. But Gatsby is completely out of touch, he’s a shell of a human being. He’s a very tragic figure, a very sad one – and that’s what was exciting about picking up this novel as an adult again, seeing those different layers and looking at Gatsby in a completely different context as I did as a youth.
Alice Eve Interview For ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
May 8th
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.
Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), John Cho (Sulu), Bruce Greenwood (Christopher Pike), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Bones), and Anton Yelchin (Pavel Chekov) reprise their roles from the 2009 ‘Star Trek’ original, with new parts for the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Noel Clarke, Nazneen Contractor and Peter Weller. ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ is directed by J.J. Abrams with a script by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof. The film is opening on May 9th in the UK, while the film bows in the US on May 17th. The May 9th opening date will see the film in IMAX 3D, 3D and 2D theaters. ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ will arrive in US IMAX theaters from May 15th.
What was the first thing you did when found out you were doing ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’?
Alice Eve: J.J. phoned me up and gave me a pre-amble for a good 20 minutes. I had to pull over. He asked me if I was committed and if I was interested in ‘Star Trek’ and if I understood what the costumes were and the requirements were and I said “yes” to all of it. But I didn’t still know if he wanted me to be a part of it, or if he wanted to tell me what he was going to go and do. So, I said, “I’m sorry, are you offering me this film?” And he said, “Yes, that’s what’s happening, yes.” I said, “Thanks very much.” (Laughs) And then I went home and saw my brother, who I had tired from making him run these lines with me, and went like that [makes the ‘live long and prosper’ sign]. It was probably one of my cooler moments (laughs).
Zachary Quinto Interview For ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
May 6th
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.
Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), John Cho (Sulu), Bruce Greenwood (Christopher Pike), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Bones), and Anton Yelchin (Pavel Chekov) reprise their roles from the 2009 ‘Star Trek’ original, with new parts for the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Noel Clarke, Nazneen Contractor and Peter Weller. ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ is directed by J.J. Abrams with a script by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof. The film is opening on May 9th in the UK, while the film bows in the US on May 17th. The May 9th opening date will see the film in IMAX 3D, 3D and 2D theaters. ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ will arrive in US IMAX theaters from May 15th.
For different reasons, two key relationships for Spock in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ are with Kirk and Uhura. The film really explores his Vulcan-Human duality and his significance in terms of the divergent Trek timelines…
Zachary Quinto: Yeah. I think Spock and Kirk are two characters who exist on opposite ends of a spectrum of perspective. I think each of them has a very fixed point of views: Spock of course being very cool-headed and logical, and Kirk’s being very emotional and instinctive and hot-blooded sometimes. I think this film in particular, and the journey these characters take on its course, it’s about each of them learning from the other and gaining from the perspective that the other has to offer. Having to face in themselves points of real challenge in order to be the fullest versions of who they can be and ultimately in order to save one another and help triumph against a tremendous force of evil.
Joel Edgerton Interview For ‘The Great Gatsby’
May 5th
‘The Great Gatsby’ follows F. Scott Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, in the midst of the roaring twenties, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, he tells a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.
Baz Luhrmann directs the ‘The Great Gatsby’ from a screenplay co-written with frequent collaborator Craig Pearce, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel of the same name. Lead by Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, ‘The Great Gatsby’ also stars Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, Joel Edgerton and Carey Mulligan as Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke as Myrtle and George Wilson, newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker, and Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan as Meyer Wolfsheim. ‘The Great Gatsby’ arrives in cinemas on May 10th in the US and Canada, with an international rollout on May 15th (May 16th in the UK).
Do you remember when you first read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel? Also, how important was it for you to return back to the original source material to help you shape your portrayal of Tom Buchanan?
Joel Edgerton: I read it first when I was in my early 20s, and then again when I was much older… I was in my early 70s, this is all botox (laughs)! But honestly, I thought it was definitely important to go back to the source material. There are many clues for the character in there, and I often believe that all the information you hopefully need for a character should be contained within the pages of the script, and then in this case you’ve got the book – which is a bonus. Baz would also refer to the longer unedited version of ‘The Great Gatsby’ that was called ‘Trimalchio.’ It was all about finding clues and putting them in your basket, you know?
Zoe Saldana Interview For ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
May 3rd
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.
Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), John Cho (Sulu), Bruce Greenwood (Christopher Pike), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Bones), and Anton Yelchin (Pavel Chekov) reprise their roles from the 2009 ‘Star Trek’ original, with new parts for the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Noel Clarke, Nazneen Contractor and Peter Weller. ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ is directed by J.J. Abrams with a script by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof. The film is opening on May 9th in the UK, while the film bows in the US on May 17th. The May 9th opening date will see the film in IMAX 3D, 3D and 2D theaters. ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ will arrive in US IMAX theaters from May 15th. Look out for a more in-depth interview with Zoe Saldana for the film next week.
I understand in the four years between ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ you had been hinting to J.J. that you wanted Uhura to kick more ass….?
Zoe Saldana: Yes (laughs). For years I wanted Uhura to kick ass. I didn’t care if I was kicking or punching something, I just wanted her to be a little more physical. And when I met up with J.J. for ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ he was like, “You asked and now you receive,” (laughs). It was tonnes of fun. And in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ I think Uhura is finally coming to terms that this is a very stressful, high strung profession that she’s in. And I think the biggest question that popped up for me, and I guess Uhura as well, was, “Do I have what it takes to sacrifice my life for my team, for my people, for my ship, for the cause, for the principals I believe in?” That to me was what resonated most to me about this story and about this sequel, that you’re seeing the shift from kids to adults. They’re taking on bigger responsibilities and accepting the path they’ve each chosen. And of course she kicks some ass (laughs).
