Late last week I was offered the chance to speak to a modern icon. I was given the opportunity to speak to The Man… The Myth… The Legend that is… William Shatner!!!
I chatted with Mr. Shatner about Stalking Santa, Free Enterprise, the HD DVD release of the original Star Trek series, and religion.
Read on to find what ‘The Shat’ had to say.
Before we get to the interview here’s a little background information on Stalking Santa.
Synopsis
Children everywhere defend his existence, and one man will stop at nothing to discover the truth. This Christmas, Dr. Lloyd Darrow, with the emotional (and financial) support of his wife Barbara, and their children Keith (naughty) and Kiely (nice), will conduct an experiment so ambitious that it could very well capture THE visit from Santa Claus himself!
In preparation for the big night, Dr. Darrow and his intern Clarence (self-proclaimed ‘Santologists’), gather extraordinary evidence of the jolly gift-giver from the North). Their research takes you from the pyramids of Egypt, to the Town Center Shopping Plaza in Polka City, Ohio, and even to the UFO fields of Roswell, New Mexico.
The Darrows’ adventure is full of laughs, tender moments, and a Christmas message for Santa skeptics and supporters everywhere: Prepare to Believe!
Mr. Shatner’s role in Stalking Santa is as the Narrator of this ‘mockumentary’ style comedy. Here’s what he had to say about the film and other things that happening in his life.
Round One
Shane MacDonald: Hi, Mr. Shatner.
William Shatner: Hi, Shane.
SM: Out of the thousands of scripts and projects that come across your desk, What appealed to you most about “Stalking Santa”?
WS: The fun of it. They approached me with a fun script that amused me. It was a voice-over, did not require the commitment of a lot of time, and it seemed like a project that would be exuberant and amusing and spoofing, and all those words that apply to somebody sitting down in front of their screen, and having an enjoyable couple of hours. That’s really all it is–for me–is fun. And I think the audience for this piece will have fun looking at it. It’s not going to change the world, but if it makes people feel better when looking at it, that’s all we ask.
SM: And one last question here. Will you be joining Robert Meyer Burnett in the sequel to “Free Enterprise”?
WS: I haven’t been approached. I had heard some stuff a while ago. That was an amusing idea, but I’ve heard nothing further. Have you?
SM: I spoke with him at Comic-Con this year, and he didn’t really tell me much, either. I think everything’s under wraps.
WS: I think it’s more than under wraps. [Laughs.] It’s under a mummified, it’s under mummified wraps. The wraps have stiffened, I think.
SM: All right. Thank you for your time, Mr. Shatner.
Round Two
SM: All right. I’ve got another question for you, Mr. Shatner, about the original Star Trek series, having been redone with new special effects, remastered, and now it’s coming to HD DVD with the phaser remote control. Is this something you’re going to add to your collection?
WS: Yeah, I dimly recollect them saying they were going to do that. You know, I don’t collect those things. I mean, I’m sure they’re around somewhere, but I never look back at those things. I don’t have any–I don’t even take pictures. I’ve got all kinds of cameras. I love cameras, but I find myself reluctantly taking pictures because what’s past is past. You can’t recapture it, and I hear these heartbreaking stories of people who lose everything in a fire and the thing they most care about are pictures, and I’m thinking, “Why?” You know, what, the pictures remind you of something that can never be recaptured. The time is gone.
The only thing you know is the present. That’s all that’s knowable, and even the present isn’t knowable, because the present becomes the past and then it’s a second into the future. So you really don’t know anything, and least of all, seeing either a picture of you when you were younger, which is somewhat horrifying, or someone you love who was younger. And I’m trying to find out, discover the answer to the mystery of “Why pictures?”
SM: That’s definitely a good question. Do you have any plans for any other Biblical CDs? You were mentioning Exodus earlier.
WS: Well, that’s an interesting question. I was asked by Seattle to do another chapter. I’m trying to remember which one it was. And I thought, “I might do that, and maybe I could start recording with orchestra and chorals, every chapter of the Bible,” edited down so that you get the sense of it, and do it within the time of a symphony, which is what this–it’s really an oratorio–do that within the time limits of that. And yet I didn’t have the physical time to go up to Seattle when they wanted me, so I’m not going to do it. But it did occur to me to do some other chapters. Maybe the opportunity will present itself again.
SM: Perhaps. I definitely hope so. Thank you for your time.
WS: Thank you.
Stay tuned for our interview with the director of Stalking Santa and read our DVD review here.
