Paul Wesley felt ‘pressure’ taking over former neighbor William Shatner’s ‘Star Trek’ role
08.03.2024 - 19:47
/ nypost.com
“The Vampire Diaries,” has stepped into William Shatner’s shoes on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and spoke to his predecessor first. “Oh, yeah. Multiple times.
I know William Shatner. In fact, we used to be neighbors,” Wesley, 41, told The Post. “He’s actually a lovely guy.
He’s been nothing but supportive, which obviously means the world to me, because his support is all that really matters.”Wesley joined the Paramount+ series in Season 2, taking up the iconic Captain Kirk mantle, which Shatner, 92, originated in the original “Star Trek.” A spinoff from “Star Trek: Discovery,” the show has currently aired two seasons, with a third coming at an unannounced date. “Strange New Worlds” is a prequel set years before “Star Trek: The Original Series,” following USS Enterprise crew Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn) and Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck).
“Did I feel pressure? Yes. Oh my God. Are you kidding me?” said Wesley.
“I was like, ‘Okay, do I do an impression of William Shatner? Do I do my own thing?’ I ended up going, ‘I’m going to do my own thing,’ because it’s free enterprise. I’m going to try to create my own career, maybe have him slowly develop into more of the Shatner version of Kirk.”Wesley said that his portrayal of the iconic character “took a lot of thought.” “The writers and executive producers are very smart, very kind and generous. They let me run with it.
I certainly know this is one of the most iconic characters in the history of television. I don’t take that lightly. It’s a huge pressure.
But, I’m also going to do what I’m going to do. And some people are going to like it. Some people aren’t.