WilliamShatner.com :: The Community Interviews Bill (Part Two)

The Community Interviews Bill (Part Two)
Posted by: Lisabeth Shatner on Friday, August 29, 2003 - 04:40 PM

	SECOND HALF OF BILL?S INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Here's the second half of the interview you've been waiting for.
1.     Yentamyrl asked: What values would you wish to impart to your grandchildren? How does your ?ethical will? differ from that impressed upon you by your father? *Bill answered:* I would want to impart to my grandkids the importance of a work ethic and the importance of the immediacy of living for today (not regretting yesterday and not dread tomorrow). Most importantly, I would want them to live with love, surrounded by family, friends, and animals. My ethical behavior isn?t different than what my father taught me. He lived by way of the things I just stated. He never said ?this is what I believe,? but he lived what he believed and taught those around him by demonstration. 2.     rowdyharmon asked: Who is your all-time favorite musician and why? *Bill answered:* That?s a tough one because you could go from Yitzhak Pearlman on violin to David Sanborn on saxophone to Peterson on the piano. I don?t think I can name one favorite, but I do change the type of music I listen to depending on my mood. 3.     AngelFox asked: Do you like to cook? If so, what do you like to make? *Bill answered:* I do like to cook - I?m really good at deep fried chicken! We have a giant fryer and I did my first deep fried turkey for Thanksgiving. It was the hit of the day. Also, I have a smoker I haven?t used yet, but I will. 4.     JamielenKirk asked: Does the food disappear from the [characters?] stomachs when they leave the holodeck [as in STTNG, It?s Elementary, Dear Data, Professor Morarty becomes a conscious being who desires to live outside the walls of the holodeck]. *Bill answered:* The food is digital and their stomachs are digital. Therefore, their days are numbered. 5.     Datami6 asked: If you were to meet any of the cast of the original Star Wars saga for dinner or coffee, what would you discuss and what would you ask them? *Bill answered:* I?m fascinated by Lucas himself; I?ve never met him, but I admire the way he has used money to make better films technically, which is something the major studios don?t do. So even though he?s not a cast member, I?d want to meet him since he?s creative and smart to do R&D in film and sound. 6.     Stalders asked: Have you ever considered?[playing yourself] in a light-hearted role, spoofing Kirk/Star Trek ? but not actually playing Kirk? *Bill answered:* Yes, I actually did just that in ?Free Enterprise.? It was a bit weird because the guys writing it were actually the characters in the film. So we had the real actors playing a fictional aspect and the real humans who lived the real life putting down their fiction to make it look as though it were real. Complicated, isn?t it? 7.     Spudgun asked: Do you know of anybody that has changed his or her life because of you or Captain Kirk? *Bill answered:* I?ve met maybe thousands of people who claim their lives were changed because of watching ?Star Trek.? It?s a bit overwhelming. 8.     Melindamouse asked: There is so much stress in today?s world. May I ask how you handle yours? *Bill answered:* First of all, I fling dishes. I stamp my foot. I then make small motions towards kicking my dog (just kidding). Other than that, I handle stress pretty well. But when the stress gets really big, I go ride a horse or go for a drive or listen to music or, best of all, work out. 9.     Tina asked: Boxers or briefs? *Bill answered:* Briefs. That?s the short answer. 10.     Kilgorn asked: What is the dumbest (clumsiest) thing you have ever done while alone and haven?t mentioned it to anyone yet? *Bill answered:* I fell once when skiing down a steep hill and I was wearing exactly the wrong clothing. So instead of slowing my skid, I accelerated it! I descended the hill on my back, but luckily I didn?t hurt myself badly. It was a wipeout of enormous proportions. 11.     Jean asked: Have you ever been to Israel? *Bill answered:* Yes, I?ve been to Israel ? up, down, and sideways, on a photographic safari. I saw it with the help of the Minister of Tourism and a great guide who had a degree in comparative religions. I was with Elizabeth and we had such a good time and learned so much that I can?t wait to get back. 12.      mkcantrell asked: Have you ever met REAL deaf people in your life? *Bill answered:* Yes, I have met deaf people and through their enormous talents for compensating for the loss (or lack) of their hearing sense, we communicated extremely well. By the way, I tried using earplugs to see if it diminished my tinnitus, so had a brief experience with understanding what it?s like to be deaf. Many experts will tell you that sound gives you a 360-degree awareness of your environment, whereas sight is much more restrictive in the information it gives you. I can say from my experience that this was true for me, too. 13.     Rpoe asked: When you found out that the death scene would have to be reshot, what did you think, and how did you prepare to do it over? *Bill answered:* You?re right; it was very difficult because, like anything that is very painful, your mind veers from a direct approach. I had to will myself to think what it was going to be like to die and that?s when I discovered the concept of the threshold of death. That is, when the dying person has a last moment of consciousness when he?s aware he is dying and aware he is still alive. What an extraordinary moment that our lives have. 14.     ChuckD asked: How did you decide to do songs in this manner [in the form of a dramatic reading] and have you (or will you ever) perform a song in a straightforward singing style? *Bill answered:* Basically, my style is an extension of poetry reading. I believe that a great lyric is also a great poem. I just finished listening to Johnny Cash?s latest album and he?s even worse at holding a tune than I am! So I know I can?t sing but I think I can bring a song to life ? and will attempt to do so late in the fall when I team up with Ben Folds for a new album. 15.     Captain R K asked: In all your travels, what is your favorite place where you have stayed, or the best sight you have seen? *Bill answered:* Places in the world can vie for beauty; one is as equally beautiful as the next. What sets them apart is some emotional draw. So I could tell you that my home is the most beautiful sight I?ve ever seen. We have a little home in the Sierras where we have some horses and it?s heart achingly beautiful there, too. Our whole family goes to Hawaii every year and that?s filled with all kinds of great memories, too. 16.     Anneke asked: My favorite Shakespeare play is ?The Merchant of Venice.? Some people think it?s anti-Semitic. I?d like to know what a Jewish Shakespearean actor think about that issue? *Bill answered:* I played in ?The Merchant of Venice? in Stratford with a great Shylock. It seems to me that a lot depends on how it is directed and how it is played. When he says, ?If you prick, do we not bleed?? that kind of emphasis suggests to me that it is not anti-Semitic. 17.     Ross asked: What do you think of studios who are unwilling to commit a lot to a film and who are in it just because it will be another money maker? *Bill answered:* The movie business, like most art, has two tensions working on it ? art and commerce. That?s the continuous problem and many times the solution to many artistic things. 18.     TooDamnSweet asked: Have you ever had Hawaiian food? If yes, which was your favorite and which was your least favorite? *Bill answered:* Yes, I have had Hawaiian food ? poi is definitely an acquired taste! 19.     Christine Shatner asked: Do some people get you upset when they try and tell you how to do your job when you already know what you are doing? *Bill answered:* How did you know? 20.     SunrunnerPoms asked: When are you going to get out of Dobies and get a real dog? A Pomeranian! *Bill answered:* I thought a Pomeranian was a country ? right next to Albania. Isn?t that where Poms are from? Seriously, I love my Dobies (although Lisabeth?s boxer, Rudy, is a cutie). 21.     SuzeQ&Henry asked: Do you have any siblings? *Bill answered:* Two. And they never let me forget it! 22.      LtColKiraNerys asked: If you were given the chance, would you work with Roy Scheider or any of the SeaQuest DSV cast again? *Bill answered:* Sure. They were awfully good. 23.      Racetracker asked: [Do you have] a dog or horse story [to share?] *Bill answered:* My most recent animal story involves not a dog or horse, but a bear. My wife, Elizabeth, and I went fishing in Alaska recently. While we were there, I saw statues that the Eskimos had made that were of dancing bears. I thought that these dancing bears were the stuff of legend ? a fantasy that was brought to life by their art. But while we were fishing, we would often see bears frolicking in the rivers. one of these bears was running full speed for about one mile, then leaped into the river where we were fishing, and began flipping the fish. He was literally dancing! That?s when it came to my mind that what the Eskimos saw was real ? the bears really do dance. 24.     Early21stcentury asked: Do you believe in reincarnation? *Bill answered:* Yes, I do. I believe that our molecules of star material have recreated millions of times. So our atoms will continue the story and have recreated until the end of time. 25.     VulcanVeg asked: Which side did you identify with more: Pro-War (supporting the Bush administration) or Anti-War (opposing the Bush administration). *Bill answered:* I was pro-war ad I think of it as a superb tactical move that checkmates many entities. It is power politics at its best. 26.     Iuyht asked: I was wondering if you ever learned anything from the [many famous people you have worked with] or from other people you have worked with? *Bill answered:* I think you learn something from everybody. I was privileged to have worked alongside many talented people from many different arenas. 27.     NCC1701TREK asked: What was your true gut feeling when DeForest Kelley past away? *Bill answered:* Tremendous sadness. But he was so ill at the end that death finally came as a blessing. I have many, many fond memories of DeForest and will always remember him as a true gentleman and wonderful actor. 28.     RaceAttack asked: There have always been rumors of some discord amongst the other actors and yourself. Has anything like this simply and truly made you feel sad or heartbroken? *Bill answered:* I have been sad over differences that were unexplained to me. I never thought there was any rancor, but apparently I was blind. 29.     ;@ppy asked: Do you still work with Leonard? If so, what can we look forward to next? *Bill answered:* I work with Leonard all the time. We do a variety of things together, not the least of which is the occasional convention. When did I become the straight man? I?m sure we?ll work together again soon. 30.     Hudsonman asked: What do you think of turning ?Star Trek: Ashes of Eden? and ?Star Trek: The Return? into radio-style dramas with a full cast of actors including Patrick Stewart and Leonard Nimoy? *Bill answered:* What a great idea. Why don?t you produce it? 31.     Bigal asked: Have you ever thought of running for office? *Bill answered:* Actually, I do run for office. It?s on Ventura Boulevard. 32.     Ebbie58 asked: If you could remake any TV show or movie that you have appeared in which one would it be and why? *Bill answered:* That would apply to almost everything I?ve done. So many times you wish you could go back and fix it. 33.     Ariel32 asked: Do you believe that the dreams we dream at night may sometimes have special meaning or teach us things that we were not aware of during waking time? Do you ever remember your dreams? *Bill answered:* I think dreams are all things ? wish fulfillment, plans for the future, even perceptions that weren?t allowed to escape your consciousness. Indeed, because of all that, they can be plans for the future. Unfortunately, I never remember my dreams. 34.     Coteyankee asked: Was [it] your major goal when you were a young actor, to be a Shakespearean or classical actor? Did Olivier inspire you in your quest to be a thespian? *Bill answered:* Yes, Olivier inspired me. I spent many years in classical theater. None of that experience has ever left me. Since it?s part of me you, the audience, respond to it. 35.     Patty asked: From the moment you learned you got the part in ?Star Trek? TOS to the final scene you filmed in ?Star Trek: Generations,? what was the one emotion that you think best describes your experience playing Captain James T. Kirk? *Bill answered:* Gratitude. 36.     Jel asked: If you could pick any time period (past or future) what time period would you like to visit? *Bill answered:* I think present times are the most interesting. There is more going on, more ferment, fervor, change, and possibility than at any other time in human history. I?m staying put. 37.     ScooterMcCrae asked: How did it feel to sit down with Roger Corman after so many years and take another look at ?The Intruder?? *Bill answered:* I?ve always admired Roger Corman ? every time I see him and speak to him, I get a kick out of him. So it was on the DVD [for ?The Intruder.?] 38.     NGC asked: What would be your ideas about the ideal conditions in regards to you having personal contact with aliens? *Bill answered:* Perhaps drunk. 39.    BHawkes asked: It is curious that you have not written to my knowledge any more books in this ?Mars Universe? [of ?Man 0?War? and ?Law O?War?].  Are you planning to continue to write more books or had you planned to keep these two books as a duology? Bill answered: I think the Mars series are some of the best work I?ve done. Unfortunately, there wasn?t enough demand for more of them. I?m sorry the publisher decided not to ask for more. 40.     Flint asked: Would you ever do another TV series again? Bill answered: Under the right circumstances, it?s possible -- the right circumstances being money, time, and creativity. 41.     Oneal034 asked: Is there a director, actor, or actress that you always wished you could be in or involved with in a motion picture? Bill answered: How dare you ask me that! I?m a happily married man and my wife is sitting right next to me! As far as actors or directors go, I have so many that I would like to work with but so little time. Such is life. 42.     JamesPointer asked: You played ?The Big Giant Head.? But after so many years of being an international star, how do you keep your own head from getting or staying to big? Bill answered: My wife shrinks it for me. <font size="1">Copyright 2003 WilliamShatner.com</font>