Zachary Quinto is stylish. He wears shoes without socks. His clothing is fitted just so. His hair is edgy without being alarming. To say that the Catholic boy from Pittsburg is both urbane and charming is an understatement. He came to fame in television’s Heroes, but has become a movie star with his spot-on performance as Spock, the intelligent and unemotional Vulcan who balances the hot-headed Captain Kirk (Chris Pine). He emulates yet also develops the pointy-eared character created by Leonard Nimoy in the original series. (Nimoy makes another appearance this time.)
Star Trek: Into Darkness, out on Friday, finds the crew of the Enterprise fighting an evil within their own organisation. A familiar villain is retro-fitted and reintroduced. The film benefits from 3D as few have in the past. The action, and pace, are fast, and fans of the genre should enjoy this JJ Abrams romp.
How is it coming back to the character?
We had been away for four years, so we were all pretty eager to reunite. There was a lot of anticipation as to where the story would go. When I read the script I was excited by the magnitude, scale and scope of the film. There was a lot of energy and momentum, it was bigger and also more challenging. Spock has a lot of physical action, so it required more training and preparation for me. I went in more connected to my own body, which allowed me to inhabit the character pretty easily. There was a period of adjustment because it had been so long. It felt a bit like coming back from a summer holiday and going back to school.
It’s also about who has your back – are there people who have yours?
I surround myself with a close-knit group that I trust. They are my inner circle. I can rely on them and they always rely on me.
This is called: Star Trek: Into Darkness. Was there ever a time you felt in the dark and pulled toward the light?
Professionally there was a period just before I was cast in Heroes where I was very frustrated with my career; really depressed. I was asking myself if there was anything else I could do that would bring me a level of fulfilment so I could start looking at pursuing it. Because I was in such a place I was able to access the emotional well that was necessary for me to get the job on Heroes that changed my trajectory and shaped my professional and personal life. Immediately after the first season of Heroes, I was cast in this. It was literally like winning the lottery. It’s provided such light. I’ve had a rich journey and many creative opportunities, including my production company. It’s brought me to a place of consistent satisfaction and happiness. But you can’t have the light without the dark. It’s important to embrace all aspects of ourselves.
Have you ever attended a Star Trek convention – how are the fans?
I’ve attended two Star Trek conventions with Leonard Nimoy in 2009. The fans of this franchise are notoriously avid and ardent. The people who are affected in positive ways by creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision, and the characters he’s created, have created such joy and I’m grateful in perpetuating that connection at this point.
The ears are legendary. What was your reaction when you first saw yourself in them?
When the ears were first glued on in make-up tests in 2007, the experience became tangible and solidified for me the magnitude of the moment. I knew what I was getting into in a real way.
Talk about your amazing fashion sense.
I’m wearing Todd Snyder. He’s building a brand that I respond to and am very comfortable in. I have a stylist, but ultimately I make all the choices of what I wear. My style changes as I’m getting older, becoming more sophisticated and subtle. Fashion is a great mode of expression. Designers like Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood who are bold. Dior, of course. Classics, but I love to push the boundaries. When I do a junket it’s an opportunity to experiment and move in different directions.
Spock is very logical. Are you?
I’m a logical person, but I can be incredibly impulsive and emotional. I’m a Gemini. I possess a duality that is beneficial for a character like Spock.
Did you pay a personal price for coming out in public?
The personal price I had to pay was not coming out. The years it took me to come to terms with myself and accept myself, to arrive at a position where I felt like making that declaration had some impact, because it requires an immense amount of self-examination and preparation. That was the personal price I paid. I have no interest in anybody that isn’t anything but supportive. We live in a world and time where this kind of assertion needs to be more common. Being one of the leads in a $175 million tentpole film franchise and to be openly gay is something I take great pride in. When I grew up there was no one to inspire me to come to terms with myself; if I can do that for a young person, and I know I already have, because I hear from them all the time, then that’s a goal and something I’m grateful for. I don’t feel limited in my work. I live an authentic life.