Original subtitles

'Cause, you know, people ask me about you.

You're notorious on many levels, you know.

[ Whispering ] "What's he really like?"

You've excited or stimulated this conversation all over the place,

and I have to say, whatever else you may be--

and you're probably mad as a hatter.

When they take your brain apart, they're gonna find out that you were singularly nuts.

You are a genuine guy, and what's more to the point,

is that you're an original-- you're a true original.

Shatner's like Mr. Television.

Bill Shatner-- You can't turn on the TV without seeing him in something.

It's amazing how he's morphed into so many different people.

The twinkle in his eye...

has just gotten brighter and brighter and brighter.

He's still got the thing that I found so sexy,

which is a fire in his belly...

that he's not afraid to light and show.

I'm William Shatner,

and this is The Captains Close Up with... William Shatner.

How did that happen?

Do you make your own luck?

Have you, Bill Shatner, made your own luck?

'Cause I don't know any other person as driven as you.

You know, I don't think of myself as being driven.

You don't? No.

I think of myself saying, Hey, I've been given this opportunity.

I think I should take it and grasp the opportunity,

because tomorrow I may not have that opportunity.

I am still the actor who was saying,

I wonder when the next job is coming.

I've got three kids. How am I gonna feed them?

How am I gonna get above $1,800 in my bank?

- That tape sill plays in your mind? - Absolutely.

Does it really? Oh, my God.

You don't stop.

You're indefatigable and ubiquitous.

[ Both Laughing ]

[ Shatner Narrating ] My luck's been pretty good over the last several years.

In fact, on a scale of one to 10, I'd say it was 110.

I've never been busier, and that's good,

'cause "idle" is not in my vocabulary.

I've done television series, recorded albums,

toured all over the world with my one-man show,

died and been reborn,

been in pole vaulting competitions...

and done a lot of documentaries.

Well, technically, I haven't had a pole in my hands in quite a while.

But I am on my ninth documentary, and it just so happens--

It's on, wouldn't you know it, me.

Yeah, I know it's a little weird making a show about yourself,

but, hey, I'm contractually obligated.

In 2011 I produced and directed...

The Captains, a documentary about all the captains of Star Trek.

I traveled over 25,000 miles, gained a lot of insight-- and some weight--

but what I also found out were some things about myself.

As it turns out, Kate Mulgrew was the one that brought them to light.

I'm always curious...

as to what your deepest need is,

either vis-à-vis your deepest insecurity...

or vis-à-vis who you really are.

Is your deepest need to perform, to work,

or is your deepest need to love?

I realize, at my late age--

Mm-hmm?

that the most important thing in life is love.

But I also recognize this--

that in order to love,

even if you have the object of your love beside you,

you need to be healthy.

You need the energy, the excess energy...

from... staying well.

Anything above that you can devote to somebody else.

But if you're not well, you can't love...

'cause you're so consumed with survival.

- You think that's true? - I absolutely think that's true.

- I agree with you. - That survival precedes love.

Survival takes many forms,

like work.

So if you're surviving by work and surviving in your health,

you have the sexual energy,

or the erotic energy...

to lavish on other things,

which means your love object,

pets, house, art--

This is Picasso. One feeds the other.

- Did Picasso say that? - I agree with that.

Then I'll buy a Picasso.

But I've noted this in men, again, I am saying, of your stripe,

of your ego size and strength.

Your ego strikes me as being singularly, um-- [ Chuckles ] intact.

Or very, very healthy. Why would you say that?

And right next to that is your libido, which is also very healthy.

And what you get from your work just sort of goes right in.

It's like a little box feeding.

But of course. Mm-hmm.

Absolutely.

So that as age comes upon you...

and the hormonal drives are lessened...

and then finally extinguished--

Oh, say it ain't so.

and as the fire of life begins to be banked,

your-- your erotic energy begins to disappear...

and the fire that you bring to things you do...

goes away.

And that hasn't happened to me yet.

I knew there was gonna be a punch line to that.

- That hasn't happened to you yet? - Not yet.

[ Shatner Narrating ] What is there left to do after 70 years in the busines?

Well, talk about it, of course, on Broadway.

This is it. Scott Faris, the director.

Shatner. One of the producers, Larry Thompson.

Into the night I rode.

I was part of the city, part of the night, part of the road.

The cycle you're working on is the cycle called yourself.

- And that's where you were. - And that's what I did.

- Night after night after night. - Great. Then get right to the punch line now.

So I need that economy. That's very tight and very good.

Stratford, Ontario. Classical company. We dug a hole in the ground. We put a tent over it.

Tonight Show, Freddie De Cordova says, "Too long."

20 minutes to do three minutes.

♪ Lucy in the sky with diamonds ♪

I look over and there's Johnny Carson like, "What the f--"

End of Transformed Man.

"And you want me to go on?" And he goes, "Well--" "I'll do it!"

[ Laughs ] "I'll do it! Don't let him get away!"

I think that's really good, Scott.

So I got the job, Mr. Shatner? Do I get to stay? You get the job.

Excellent, everybody. Rock and roll.

[ Shatner ] Rock and roll.

[ Shatner Narrating ] Sixty years...

since I was first in New York on Broadway.

Still trying to get some insight into Suzie Wong.

Actually, the late '50s and early '60s were a very good time for me.

I had a lot of opportunities, and I took advantage of most of them,

including one that came in the form of a telephone call.

I was in New York and I got a call...

from a guy named Roddenberry--

- [ Laughing ] - who said, "My name is Roddenberry.

We've shot a pilot and it didn't sell,

but what they said was, recast it and we'll take another look."

[ Man ] Bill had a series on television. It was, I believe, shot in New York.

It ended, and he became available as Jeffrey Hunter was exiting,

and they snatched him up.

And that locked the deal. They had a show.

Phasers, fire. Point blank.

[ Woman ] So I met Leonard and Bill in the first reading...

around the table with all of us sitting there.

It was something else.

I remember the first day we saw the dailies of the first shot we did.

I thought, "Wow. This show is gonna be great."

[ D'Agosta ] At the time, Bill was on his way, basically,

to becoming a movie star, I thought.

He appeared in...

really fine films.

He had a similar buildup of a career as Robert Redford,

in that he did all the prestigious television shows,

whether it was Twilight Zone, or he was Judgment at Nuremberg in a major part, as I recall.

And then this new, gigantic role...

of Captain Kirk, a total original.

He had to do all of the creation on it.

There was no precedent.

How do you do this thing?

And what's the manner in which you say these words?

And therefore, the classical work that all of us have done...

Yeah. came to use.

'Cause he was theatrical.

And I think that was his strength.

Risk.

Risk is our business.

That's what this starship is all about.

That's why we're aboard her!

[ Shatner Narrating ] Over half a century in show business is really a long tim.

Shouldn't I have gotten a watch from somebody by now?

Well, I did finally win an Emmy.

Actually, more than one.

Took 'em long enough.

It's been an adventure, that's for sure,

with plenty of twists and turns...

and something everyone finds out sooner or later in this business--

success always comes with a price.

I know that you have loved, and I know that you have loved deeply.

But vis-à-vis your career,

has it been difficult to love completely?

And has love suffered...

because of your career needs and/or choices?

I got married at a very early age.

My career hadn't even really started.

I was a young actor in Canada.

I got married and had children almost right away.

Within a year, I had a baby.

I was... distraught...

over how am I going to survive...

as an actor...

and then keep a roof over my head-- our head--

and pay for all the things babies need.

And this was in New York in the live television days,

so I worked and I worked and I worked.

I worked very hard.

Had another baby-- had another baby. And the bills mounted up.

There was the need...

in my being...

for love, passion, lust.

I hadn't had much of that as a young man.

When I got to be an actor and people knew me,

I had more opportunities...

for the kind of girls I would have loved to have had when I was single.

So for a long time...

I... reached out...

for, uh, love of all different kinds--

nurturing, uh, passion, all those kinds of things.

Never found it in one woman.

And-- But if I may interrupt you for one second.

Are you suggesting that suddenly,

due to your success,

there was a plethora of beautiful women available to you--

- Correct. - that theretofore had not been available to you?

- That's exactly right. - And perhaps--

I don't want to put words in your mouth. Is it true or not true--

Because if I were a man I think I-- You were a kid in a candy store then.

Th's right.

These women would not have been accessible to you had you been a failure as an actor.

Mmm, one thinks not.

- [ Laughs ] Right, right. So, is the ego just lambasted? - Absolutely.

You're sort of dazzled, right? Yeah.

There I was, a lonely kid in Montreal,

trying to survive as a kid,

and suddenly, some years later,

I'm-- I'm in the public eye...

and women are available to me,

and I'd never had that before.

And so I succumbed to all that temptation.

The amount of time that those series--

and I did several-- took...

destroyed each marriage...

for the lack of time and attention to the marriage,

and also to the temptations that were around.

The concept of being with one woman...

and being uniquely theirs...

arrived...

with my wife Nerine.

I began to understand...

how love can be...

heightened and sharpened...

and in a sense blissful...

being with one lady...

and devoting all your attention--

physical, spiritual, emotional--

to that one lady.

Nerine died.

I was left with...

these almost 10 years of--

I had a beautiful thing happen to me.

Now it's gone.

And then my luck--

this thing that I have in life--

Yeah.

I met my wife Elizabeth. Yes.

And I've been...

completely true to her...

during the decade we've been married.

But you have been...

a very hardworking personality and actor in this last decade.

Have you not? Absolutely.

Would Elizabeth tell me that she feels that she gets enough of you?

No. We don't get enough of each other.

We have so many things we do together that we don't get to do as much as we'd like,

but we get to do quite a bit.

It is within the realm of possibility...

to work hard, completely and utterly,

and do the same thing with love.

Yes.

But you know-- Who said it?

One's work is an exacting mistress.

And that was well-answered to your question about love and work.

Next question.

Vacations are always a good idea.

Save yourself... some money.

Surfing is my life now.

Shatner has become... so able--

and he seems to enjoy comedy.

And what he's done between Boston Legal and his activities with Priceline--

He has brought this level of both sexuality and humor...

to his life and his work.

- Look, I'm here to help. - He just played the roles...

that he seemed to be right for for the longest time...

before people realized he could stretch and do other things.

He's an actor.

The last series I did...

was, uh, Boston Legal,

which, uh, of course,

Bill had a small part in that one too.

James Spader, who is--

Well, he's certainly one of the finest actors working today.

He has a very particular way of working.

Very, um-- Very precise.

As opposed to Bill, who has been doing it for so long.

He knows it's just film,

and he knows that his life does not depend on that particular scene.

The difference of the way they worked would--

You know, at first blush you would think, "Uh-oh. This could--

Twenty shows down the line this could get difficult."

And I was always fascinated to watch--

They worked so differently,

and yet with such respect for each other's way of working.

It was like The Odd Couple.

It just was, you know, that kind of chemical thing that rarely happens,

and when it happens it's like catching lightning in a bottle.

Does she understand that she's sideways?

[ Elizabeth ] I'm fine, honey.

Liz, the image is sideways.

No, it's not. It's good.

No, it's not. It may appear to be on this--

Well, then it'll be artistic.

[ Chuckles ] Right. Sideways. [ Laughing ]

Now you're upside-down. Why are you doing that?

I'm not upside-down!

Well, then you were upside-down before, because you've now-- Honey, I'm fine.

Do you understand what's she's doing? She's screwing up the whole thing.

I'm doing this for nothing. Why are you letting her handle that?

[ Liz ] 'Cause she's in the front seat!

Well, I'll turn sideways.

Liz had it upside-down, then sideways.

Nobody wants to watch that.

That's crazy. I'm not talking.

As long as she has the camera, I'm not talking. [ Elizabeth, Liz Laughing ]

[ Laughing ] It's not that--

[ Laughing ] I'm not talking.

You don't see me talking? I'm not talking.

This is me not talking. I am not talking.

So, you have enough material to work with?

Well, I don't today. I've got about 20 minutes worth.

We're good. We're just--

But I wanted to see if I'm heading down the right road.

Hell, I don't know, Bill.

Well, we're gonna make it together, so if you get the good vibe, I'm in.

[ Shatner Narrating ] I've never let the fact that I can't sing...

keep me from making music.

I'm now on my fourth-- Or is it my fifth album?

This time with former Yes guitarist,

singer, songwriter and producr Billy Sherwood.

♪♪ [ Speakers: Rock ] I'll work on that tonight.

♪ The wonder, the mystery ♪

♪♪ [ Continues ] I see the beauty, but I feel a part--

♪ See the beauty ♪

♪♪ [ Continues ]

What this needs from the very beginning...

is the knife edge of a guitar, uh--

Sure. electric guitar shaping everything.

♪♪ [ Continues ] ♪♪ [ Imitating Guitar Solo ]

Some of it's more somber. Some of it's kinda jokey. Yeah.

Some of it's serious. Some of it's-- Yeah.

♪♪ [ Imitating Guitar Solo ]

♪♪ [ Continues ] "For those of us who are wet with fear."

♪♪ [ Continues ] My God, it just works and works.

We'll keep that orchestral thing kind of-- Right.

♪♪ [ Continues ] Say the--

I would say that.

So that they're sung and you're saying those words.

"A part of me needs to be saved.

An act, a tiny, weeny bit brave. ♪♪ [ Fades ]

I'm always a little bit afraid,

but I haven't said that to you...

because I'm a little bit afraid to.

[ Both Laughing ]

We might come on cold like that. I like that.

I wrote this.

I filled this blank piece of paper up-- I don't have to tell you.

It is a miracle to have words that go somewhere and to see it.

So you're digging? I'm-- [ Sighs ]

Not only am I digging, I'm kvelling.

[ Both Laughing ] Nice! Kvelling!

Paramount Studios. One of the first studios in the moviemaking business.

1910, 1920. The first movies were made here.

The Star Trek that I did, The Next Generation-- All the Star Treks were shot here.

This is Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

I first got to know Chris during the filming of The Captains.

Liked him a lot.

This time I wanted to find out a little more about the new Captain Kirk...

and see what similarities there might be...

between where I was so many years ago and where Chris is today.

Were you aware that with the role...

comes a certain leadership of the whole company, sort of their looking at you?

Oh, man, I was so scared, I didn't even think about that.

Well, it's an interesting thing.

I-- What I really found with the group that I was involved with is that,

wonderfully, we were all in a similar position in our careers.

We're all young, starting out.

Some success. Not too much success.

So there was a camaraderie and, I think, a parity, really,

just speaking of the actors,

that lent itself to...

what I feel like is a distinguishable trait of the--

An ensemble.

Yeah. Of the piece-- that it really is an ensemble.

[ Chuckles ]

Course heading, Captain?

Second star to the right.

And straight on till morning.

What's your life like now?

I'm trying to think back when I was 30 and had kids...

and was struggling to make a living and keep a roof over their heads...

and food on the table.

When did you-- You had a family by the time you were 30?

Well, I think I had my first kid by the time I was 27.

Wow. Yeah.

I loved the family,

and I loved surrounding myself with the family.

At the same time, when I look back I realize, that's a big load.

It's an incredible responsibility.

Three kids, finally.

So by the time you started Star Trek, you had--

I had three kids by the time we finished Star Trek. Wow.

And-And was divorced. Whoa.

What do you spend on those movies?

I try to do as much work as I can to do justice to the character and the script.

Every project's different. The toolbox you bring to it is the same every time.

The tools that you use will inevitably be different,

given the circumstance and the project and the piece.

Are you involved with anybody?

Is anybody-- Is there love in your life? Sure.

In my life, I'm--

My first love, really, is my work right now.

That's where I'm spending my time and my energy. But certainly, yeah.

But isn't your life then lonely when you're not working?

I have great friends and a really wonderful family.

What's nice about having grown up in Los Angeles is that, this is my home.

I've never had to make it my home.

Did you go to school here? Yeah.

I went to a small private school in the Valley...

from kindergarten through 12th.

- Then I went to Berkeley up north. - Did you? Did you graduate?

I did. You went to McGill?

I went to a wonderful university in Montreal.

Graduated with a business administration--

Business administration?

Yeah, business. And I got my--

- Did you know you were gonna act even then? - Yeah. I knew when I was six.

It's interesting how it happens.

For some people-- You knew from a very early age.

You talk to many actors, and they know, and they talk their dying passion for it.

Ironically enough, having grown up around it,

one would expect that I--

it was a foregone conclusion that I would end up in it.

But for me it seemed to fit perfectly with certain needs that I had--

intellectual needs and--

It's so ironic.

Most people, myself included,

parents say, "Oh, gee, don't do that."

Uh, my father's expression was, "You'll be a hanger-on."

[ Laughs ]

You won't be a success. You'll be a beggar, in effect.

That was my father's whole thought about being an actor.

But on the contrary, your father is saying,

"Great, son. It's in the genes."

Well, I mean, I too also grew up in an acting environment--

It's a blue-collar acting household,

which is a completely different, you know--

Everything is relative.

I grew up very comfortable, and I went to a wonderful school and I was very,

in the grand scheme of things, pampered.

But I also did see the peaks and the valleys, and I saw the droughts,

and I saw the time when money was made and money wasn't.

So I think my parents' concern when I first started was more--

They wanted to make sure that I was cognizant...

and very aware and really understood...

the potential of the life of the starving artist.

Do you recall the moment when you thought,

I'm gonna give this a shot?

You know, again, everything just kind of happened,

like building a-- [ Chuckles ] a house.

It was just, layer of brick, layer, layer, layer.

And by the time I got to my senior year in college,

with not a lot of other interests besides acting--

and that was my main, um, kind of extracurricular focus--

that I thought, yeah, I'll give it a go.

I never had any sort of arrogance about it,

but I just knew-- somehow I just knew it would work out,

whether I ended up doing regional theater in Vermont or ended up on a TV show,

I just kinda figured it would all work out.

[ Chattering ]

[ Shatner ] So, I spent the day in bed,

except to rush out of bed for a quick visit...

and then rush back.

And, um-- And that's been my-- my day.

So I'm vertical for the first time today--

opening night.

And yet...

it's always been my philosophy...

that there's nothing you can't do...

if you put your mind to it.

And if you feel sick to your stomach...

and you still have to perform in front of a Broadway opening, you can do it.

It's just a matter of will and focus.

So that's what I'm about.

I'm about knowing that I can do it,

no matter how I feel.

[ No Audible Dialogue ]

You have this extraordinary life...

which continues to open like the most exotic flower.

- Doesn't it? - It's unbelievable what's happening to me now.

I have shows on the air, things I've conceived of that I'm doing that I--

- This is a perfect case in point, isn't it? - Perfect case.

- You make these things happen. - Exactly.

[ Laughing ] You want a jet? You get a jet.

You want an actress? You get an actress. And everybody's with you!

Like, I'm overwhelmed that you and Patrick, for example, and Scott Bakula,

and Avery Brooks, who talks to nobody--

Are talking to you. Are talking to me.

I'm overwhelmed. Yes.

Overwhelmed by the generosity. It's a tribute to you, William.

It's about your personality.

It's about something that's genuine,

that has not been affected by every other kind of success that you've experienced.

You know what you're doing? You're laughing in the face of death.

I am. You are. Let's dap.

That's exactly what I'm doing.

I'm saying to life, and therefore to death,

I'm still here and I'm not extinguished yet.

Clever. Sharp. Smart. Thoughtful.

Wise. And fun.

Yes, I admire him for his passion...

about the job he does, about his fearlessness,

about the way he seems to be continually recreating himself.

The most extraordinary actor in terms of a career.

It never stops.

It's project after project after project.

The creation itself is what keeps him going.

Because when he's done with a project--

What's new? What else can I do?

What else can I create in my lifetime?

[ Transporr Sound ] No, no, no, no, no!

I'm not beaming in. You said I could make an entrance with a rocket strapped to my ass.

[ Laughing, Cheering ]

Thank you.

[ Engine Starting ]

[ Shatner Narrating ] Well, I hope you enjoyed...

a look at my first 82 years in show business.

I know I have.

Y'all gotta get some sleep before Mr. Shatner comes in in the morning.

So y'all not gonna rest at all.

He's gonna be on the full tilt piece.

What you sayin'?

What are you talkin' about?

I'll say it. Yeah, yeah. Play this back for him.

I know what I'm talking about. I've seen it.

Whoa. We're gonna--

Well, we need to do this, go over there.

We need to see. Come-- Come here.

Work with me now. [ Chuckles ]

Um, no, no. Just move over here for me.

You know, like this. Yeah.

I'm not trying to imitate him.

I'm talkin' about what I see.

[ Chuckles ] What?

Closed-Captioned by Captions, Inc., Burbank, CA