'Star Trek' Star Makes Rare Comment About Acting Like William Shatner
Actor Paul Wesley is opening up about taking on the iconic role of Captain James T. Kirk in the Paramount+ series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. During a Variety interview, alongside his Star Trek: SNW co-stars at the San Diego 2025 Comic-Con, Wesley discussed filming Season 3, Episode 4, titled "A Space Adventure Hour," directed by Star Trek: The Next Generation star Jonathan Frakes. Wesley explained that he was playing a character named Maxwell Saint, who is "an actor in 1960s Hollywood" with "a huge ego," and stars on a science fiction program in the Season 3 episode. According to Wesley, he did adopt some of William Shatner's mannerisms while playing Maxwell. As fans are aware, Shatner originated Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series, which ran from 1966 to 1969. "It was a combination of a fictional character named Maxwell Saint and I wanted to throw in some Shatner-isms for the people. A wink to the audience. But I also wanted to create my own spin on it. It's almost like a combination of both Maxwell Saint and a little bit of a nod to TOS," said Wesley to the publication. During a July 29 interview with CBS Mornings, Wesley, who began playing Kirk during the second season of Star Trek: SNW, said he made an effort to not minic Shatner's performance. He also noted that his version of Kirk is younger than Shatner's on Star Trek: TOS. "I thought 'Should I imitate or emulate William Shatner in any way?' I thought he did such an amazing job. He was so iconic. Why don't I do my own spin. And this is pre-captain. So maybe he's figuring it out," said the Vampire Diaries star. He said, however, that he "rewatched every episode of TOS" before working on the Star Trek: SNW set. According to the actor, he subconsciously took on some of Shatner's mannerisms while playing Kirk. The third season of Star Trek: SNW is currently airing on Paramount+.
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