Shatner the actor

[A beaker full of death]

yeah, it's really easy to mimic the man's mannerisms, but let me share an observation:

Public speaking is a bitch. I decided early in my legal career that I'd have to channel a pursuasive speaker when addressing a jury.
I chose Captain Kirk.
Yeah, it sounds silly. But you know what? It works. I've become a very compelling public speaker because of it (at least when I've rehearsed enough).
I've given up on the silliness of Boston Legal, but I did catch one episode this year, because I heard that Shatner was going to be delivering a closing argument. And to my shock, he delivered it in an entirely different way than I would have. Than Captain Kirk would have.
That's when I started to realize that he really was playing a character - a very different character from Captain Kirk. I've started watching some TJ Hooker, and that's a different character as well. Sure, a lot of the broad strokes are the same, but there are some interesting subtle differences.
Just an observation.

 

[Outpost4]

beaker, did you ever see Shatner in The Andersonville Trial? Besides being an excellent acting job on his part, playing a character much more subtle than Kirk, he also plays a lawyer. I was just wondering what you thought.

 

[Electric Coleslaw]

In Nimoy's second book, he states that Shatner's overacting occurred mainly in the third season and it was only because he was trying to pump some life into those lame episodes. I think the Kirk we see in the 1st and 2nd seasons is downright subdued. With a few exceptions of course!

 

[RobertScorpio]

Go Jet Jaguar!!!

I agree...I think shatner's over the top acting in season 3 is the only thing that is worth watching...and there are a few good episodes, Tholian Web-Paradise Syndrome are a couple that come to mind...

Shatner..the only two time EMMY award winning Trek Captain!

Rob

 

[Hofner]

I've always enjoyed Shatner's acting. Yes, Boston Legal is pretty silly but I guess I don't mind so much since I've got a pretty silly sense of humor myself. But there are also serious scenes and I think Shatner does the silly and serious stuff very well.

I think I know what you mean about public speaking. It's not the same but I'm a bass player and singer and have been in a bunch of rock bands throughout the years. Im shy and very self conscious and I can tell you it was very hard for me to start singing in public. I learned that when you're on stage you need to show entusiasm and not just stand there and play and sing. The audience just gets more into the music if I bounce around and smile a lot although I always feel silly doing it. In other words you kinda have to act bigger than life.

And no, I don't sing like William Shatner.

"And now... thenextsongwe're... goingtodois...'WishYouWere... Here'."

Robert

 

[idreamedmusic]

In Nimoy's second book, he states that Shatner's overacting occurred mainly in the third season and it was only because he was trying to pump some life into those lame episodes. I think the Kirk we see in the 1st and 2nd seasons is downright subdued. With a few exceptions of course!

I've also always wondered if the accident on "Arena", which apparently led to Shatner, Nimoy and possibly Kelley suffering from tinnitus, had an influence on his acting, especially the much-lamented hamming it up in later eps of TOS. If you compare Shatner's performance in S1 to S3, there is a marked difference, though that might as well stem from him trying to actually make something out of the lame-ass S3 scripts he had to deal with.

I just always felt he was superb in character moments, like Spock's death in TWOK or even back in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" when Spock tells Kirk to kill Mitchell. Ya, he chewed some serious scenery even back then, need I remind anyone of evil!Kirk in "The Enemy Within", but he also balanced that with a superbly subdued good!Kirk.

That said, his comedic timing is impeccable.

 

[misskim86]

I don't think any actor could have portrayed Kirk as good as Shatner. I read "I am Spock" but I don't remember Nimoy saying it started in the 3rd season and that, I just remember Nimoy praising Shatners acting skill

 

[A beaker full of death]

beaker, did you ever see Shatner in The Andersonville Trial? Besides being an excellent acting job on his part, playing a character much more subtle than Kirk, he also plays a lawyer. I was just wondering what you thought.

No, I haven't, but I will now! I'm going to stream it directly from Netflix. Thanks!

 

[A beaker full of death]

beaker, did you ever see Shatner in The Andersonville Trial? Besides being an excellent acting job on his part, playing a character much more subtle than Kirk, he also plays a lawyer. I was just wondering what you thought.

ok, thanks to Netflix I've now seen it. I thought Shatner, like the character he plays, had a rough first act and an absolutely brilliant third act. I must admit, though, in contradiction of my own thesis, that was very much Kirk up there (and at one point he reminded me very much of a closing I had once delivered!).

How odd to see veterans Ian Wolfe (Mr. Atoz) and Alan Hale, Jr. without a single line of dialogue!

 

[AxelFoley]

First of all, could someone fill me in on the Arena incident? Never heard of such a thing before. Did all 3 get tinnitus, temporarily or do they have it to this day (excluding DeForest of course)

Second of all, I think Boston Legal is the best show currently filming and has some of the best writing I've ever encountered on a show. I love it, Spader & Shatner are terrific together!

 

[Turbo]

Shatner and Nimoy definitely have tinninitus, and they both believe that it was due to the explosions in Arena. Kelley reportedly had it as well, but it was never confirmed.

And yes, Boston Legal is fantastic.

 

[AxelFoley]

Shatner and Nimoy definitely have tinninitus, and they both believe that it was due to the explosions in Arena. Kelley reportedly had it as well, but it was never confirmed.

And yes, Boston Legal is fantastic.

My God those 2 even share tinnitus with each other! Wow... Thanks for the info.

 

[MikeH92467]

beaker, did you ever see Shatner in The Andersonville Trial? Besides being an excellent acting job on his part, playing a character much more subtle than Kirk, he also plays a lawyer. I was just wondering what you thought.

ok, thanks to Netflix I've now seen it. I thought Shatner, like the character he plays, had a rough first act and an absolutely brilliant third act. I must admit, though, in contradiction of my own thesis, that was very much Kirk up there (and at one point he reminded me very much of a closing I had once delivered!).

How odd to see veterans Ian Wolfe (Mr. Atoz) and Alan Hale, Jr. without a single line of dialogue!

Good to know that Andersonville Trial is available via Netflix. It's a superbly crafted drama. I wonder what people who don't have to see his performance with the baggage of Star Trek or Boston Legal would think of it?

 

[A beaker full of death]

Shatner and Nimoy definitely have tinninitus, and they both believe that it was due to the explosions in Arena. Kelley reportedly had it as well, but it was never confirmed.

Knew about Shatner. There's one tumble he takes, just as a shell explodes right near him, that's spectacular - and no stuntman in sight.

And yes, Boston Legal is fantastic.

ugh. The cast rocks. The writing is horrible. Just another undisguised soapbox for liberal propaganda (when it isn't busy depicting lawyers as immature lecherous sex fiends).

 

[Turbo]

And yes, Boston Legal is fantastic.

ugh. The cast rocks. The writing is horrible. Just another undisguised soapbox for liberal propaganda (when it isn't busy depicting lawyers as immature lecherous sex fiends).

Meh. Kelley's politics do come through pretty strongly, but I've gotten used to it. (Probably helps that I lean liberal, but even so, it's over the top for a TV series.)

And now I want to see The Andersonville Trial. Will have to look into a Netflix subscription.

 

[EnsignJulka]

Shatner and Nimoy definitely have tinninitus, and they both believe that it was due to the explosions in Arena. Kelley reportedly had it as well, but it was never confirmed.

And yes, Boston Legal is fantastic.

My God those 2 even share tinnitus with each other! Wow... Thanks for the info.

Must have been one hell of an explosion..

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Funny, I remember reading an article on how to give yourself confidence in public and one recommendation was to put yourself in the shoes of someone you thought possessed it. While not actually asking you to act exactly as they would, they asked you to believe you were them, for example Captain Kirk.

 

[egonbeeblebrox]

"And now... thenextsongwe're... goingtodois...'WishYouWere... Here'."

I'd pay good money, I think, to hear Shatner perform spoken word Pink Floyd. I'd love to hear how "Echoes" would turn out.