Zachary Quinto: Spock – Star Trek (2009)
Zachary Quinto was not strictly unknown before he was cast as Spock in J.J. Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek. He had been in the third series of 24, and was well known to fans of briefly popular TV show Heroes, in which he had played serial killer Sylar for four years. But when the enormity of the role that he was taking on is considered, his previous roles fade into insignificance. Most previous roles would fade into insignificance. Because this – was Spock. Spock is not just an idol for millions of Star Trek fans – his is one of the very few names that is also known outside the science-fiction genre. There are few characters that it could be more important to get right, or that it could be so easy to get wrong. Quinto was boldly going where just the one man had gone before – and it was his first credited film role.
It was actually Quinto himself who pursued the role, stating in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as early as 2006 that he was interested in playing the dual-heritage character, because he could identify with the complexity. The article attracted the attention of Abrams, and Quinto auditioned (complete with shaved eyebrows, slicked down hair and a blue shirt) – but Abrams wasn’t convinced. Adrien Brody was being considered at the time, as he was established, and already bore more of a resemblance to original-Spock Leonard Nimoy’s iconic angular features. What was more crucial, however, was the fact that Brody had an Oscar – also known as existing, guaranteed credibility (although there are several performances that challenge both the ‘guaranteed’ and the ‘credibility’ of that statement – sadly most of them Adrien Brody’s.)
On actually meeting Quinto, however, Abrams changed his mind, and Quinto actually became the first of all the characters to be cast.
In true Spock fashion, Quinto didn’t make life easy on himself. Already tasked with the enormous weight of revisiting one of the most famous fictional characters of all time, the actor also decided that he wasn’t simply going to produce a carbon copy of Nimoy’s portrayal. Feeling that the key to the success of the character was going to be establishing an angle on him that had at once ‘gratitude and respect’ for what had gone before, but also a perspective that could open the character out, Quinto was determined to bring a degree of his own originality to Spock. This was not just playing with fire. This was taking a trip to the sun and spraying it with lighter fluid.
But Abrams had encouraged all of the new Star Trek crew to draw inspiration and character authenticity from the original cast, while also using them as a point of departure. It was a balance that fans and critics alike felt that the cast – Quinto especially – struck perfectly. Spock was back. And he brought Zachary Quinto with him.