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William Shatner: ‘I don’t know’ George Takei anymore

Dennis said:
Nah, all of this was public a long time before the Shatner Roast - that in itself was good-natured. Takei had been publicly talking trash about Shatner for years.
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First convention I went to was around '74. Shatner and Takei were both on the bill with Nichols, Whitney, and maybe Doohan or Kelley. But George hadn't developed his "Bill Sucks" shtick yet.
 
Dennis said:
the Shatner Roast - that in itself was good-natured.
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I'm not so sure about that. Takei seemed like he really meant it when he said that line about Shatner and the horse. Shatner looked genuinely shocked by it. Unless it was all acting on their part. Anyway, there's probably no such thing as "bad press".
 
eyeresist said:
Ethros said:
It's just life. Some people seem to think actors are different and should all be best friends with each other just like the fictional characters they play. Well they aren't.
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Are you seriously saying that people who make a TV show together don't all live in the one house like The Monkees?
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Of course they do, Eyeresist! Do not listen to "them" Ha! Remember that one clip when they were living in the duplex in Encino, and they rigged the night camera to show Shatner was the one stealing and eating the Peanut Butter out of the fridge late at night. That one was so funny! I never did think they were gonna figure that out. And Rand, with all those bleeps when they showed her it was the Shatinator!

Wow, Good Days!

:guffaw:
 
Any time Shatner and Takei are on the same bill at a convention, technically they're working the same gig. So until George refuses to be at a convention Bill is attending, the whole feud seems fishy to me.
 
Dr. Sevrin said:
Any time Shatner and Takei are on the same bill at a convention, technically they're working the same gig. So until George refuses to be at a convention Bill is attending, the whole feud seems fishy to me.
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It's like the wrestling - it's as real as you want it to be. ;)
 
I have a serious concern and question for the Thread. Most, if not all of you seem to think there would or should be no reason to expect present camaraderie or personal connection between these actors who, in the past were a part of our favorite shows. Be it Shat and George, or whomever.

My concern is that I truly and deeply believe that when these people were so intimately involved (100 hrs per week or more sometimes) on a series and/or movie, the strength of the relationship would last for years or even decades. But as read on this and other Threads, the overwhelming majority of you do think this should be the case.

My question is, have any of you been involved with a group or troupe of people for anything in the creative arts, and did the bonds you forge last, or did they fade and sort of die with time?

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful answers
 
Jedi_Master said:
However, Takei was always taking something called "The Conn" and I never saw him give it back, so maybe that is why Shatner's mad.
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But he was told to take it!

HIjol said:
I have a serious concern and question for the Thread. Most, if not all of you seem to think there would or should be no reason to expect present camaraderie or personal connection between these actors who, in the past were a part of our favorite shows. Be it Shat and George, or whomever.

My concern is that I truly and deeply believe that when these people were so intimately involved (100 hrs per week or more sometimes) on a series and/or movie, the strength of the relationship would last for years or even decades. But as read on this and other Threads, the overwhelming majority of you do think this should be the case.

My question is, have any of you been involved with a group or troupe of people for anything in the creative arts, and did the bonds you forge last, or did they fade and sort of die with time?

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful answers
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I just finished reading a book called Remembering Tenko, a "making-of" book about the British TV series Tenko (about a group of British and Dutch women prisoners of war, during World War II). The book covers everything from the initial idea behind the series, to what the surviving actresses/actors are doing now (as of 2011).

The material covering the TV show is fascinating, but the book also goes into the interpersonal relationships among the cast members, who became close friends and cared a lot for each other - even decades after the show was filmed and shown on TV. It was an incredibly gritty and emotionally-draining show to watch, and the cast grew very close during and after filming.
 
HIjol said:
My concern is that I truly and deeply believe that when these people were so intimately involved (100 hrs per week or more sometimes) on a series and/or movie, the strength of the relationship would last for years or even decades.
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100 hours per week - assuming they had Sundays off, they would be working almost 17 hours a day!
TJ Hooker ran two years longer than TOS, so presumably whoever was in that show would be even closer than the Star Trek cast?


HIjol said:
My question is, have any of you been involved with a group or troupe of people for anything in the creative arts, and did the bonds you forge last, or did they fade and sort of die with time?
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In my university years I took a couple of drama classes and hung out with the drama club. The impression I had was that actors can give the impression of being best-est friends while working together, but they tend to forget each other after they move on to the next production, except for screams of delight if they run into each other at a party.

From what I've read there are also elder statesmen of the craft who impose their friendship on a chosen few, expecting to be regularly complimented and asked for their sage advice - but perhaps that is just me reading between the lines with some cynicism.
 
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There are people who fought shoulder to shoulder in ww2 that didn't like each other. I'm sure it's possible for people to do a tv show together and not like each other.
 
HIjol said:
I have a serious concern and question for the Thread. Most, if not all of you seem to think there would or should be no reason to expect present camaraderie or personal connection between these actors who, in the past were a part of our favorite shows. Be it Shat and George, or whomever.

My concern is that I truly and deeply believe that when these people were so intimately involved (100 hrs per week or more sometimes) on a series and/or movie, the strength of the relationship would last for years or even decades. But as read on this and other Threads, the overwhelming majority of you do think this should be the case.

My question is, have any of you been involved with a group or troupe of people for anything in the creative arts, and did the bonds you forge last, or did they fade and sort of die with time?

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful answers
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First, remind yourself: it's just a job.

Seriously. Acting is a job. Anything to do with TV shows or movies, they're just jobs. People show up and do them for, you know, money. If you can be friends with your coworkers, that's great. If you make lifelong friendships out of it, that's awesome. But it's not a guarantee and not really something people should expect.

I tend not to make friends at work because I prefer to keep my personal life separate from my work life. Last time I made friends at a job, they all ended up getting fired! :lol:

Granted, actors do spend more time together than people who work a typical 40-hour job, so the likelihood of forming a close bond is probably higher. But there's still no guarantee. As an example, Avery Brooks was notorious for not being friendly with the DS9 cast off the set. It wasn't that he didn't like them, he's just kind of a private guy and didn't want to take work home with him, so to speak. I can respect that, and you should, too.
 
I had some close friends during my college theatre days between 1969-1972, but I moved around so much, I lost contact with them. Only one that I know of went into the profession full time, has Broadway and television credits, and still seems to be working. I remember the names of some, but have forgotten many others, even though I've not seen most of them in over 40 years.
 
HIjol said:
My concern is that I truly and deeply believe that when these people were so intimately involved (100 hrs per week or more sometimes) on a series and/or movie, the strength of the relationship would last for years or even decades. But as read on this and other Threads, the overwhelming majority of you do think this should be the case.
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But Takei wasn't that involved. Shatner made the point at least once, I forget where, that years - now decades - of fandom and cheering conventions and Takei's public image have elevated Sulu to a position he just didn't have at the time. Now, Takei/Sulu's 1/7th of a classic team of immortals, but then, he was just the helmsman, who got a line here or there per episode, and a few moments out of three seasons to shine, but that's it. At the time, long before anyone realized how long-lasting Trek would be, Shatner thought of it as his show with himself and Nimoy and Kelley as the stars because that's how it was.

It's also probably not a coincidence that Shatner had by far the most dramatic and longest scenes with Nimoy, and has been better friends (maybe only friends) with him ever since. Not that working so much together fated them to become besties, of course, but I'm sure it played a part.

As for the rest, it's all context and individual personalities. But TNG set template for Trek shows as ensemble series, whereas TOS had been a trio show with recurring background cast.
 
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