Days before his 93rd birthday, the legendary star William Shatner is reflecting on his decades-long career in Hollywood and revealing the one regret that still haunts him to this day.
Shatner’s Hollywood Regret
Shatner is arguably best known for portraying Capt. James T. Kirk in the television series “Star Trek” from 1966-1969, and he went on to reprise the role in seven movies. It’s the 1989 film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, however, that Shatner still regrets 35 years later.
“I wish that I’d had the backing and the courage to do the things I felt I needed to do. My concept was, “‘Star Trek’ goes in search of God,” and management said, ‘Well, who’s God? We’ll alienate the nonbeliever, so, no, we can’t do God,’” Shatner explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
“And then somebody said, ‘What about an alien who thinks they’re God?’ Then it was a series of my inabilities to deal with the management and the budget,” he added, referring to the making of the movie that he also directed. “I failed. In my mind, I failed horribly.”
“When I’m asked, ‘What do you regret the most?,’ I regret not being equipped emotionally to deal with a large motion picture,” Shatner continued. “So in the absence of my power, the power vacuum filled with people that didn’t make the decisions I would’ve made.”
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Star Trek V Flops
When Star Trek V was finally released, it was considered a disappointment that was poorly executed. To this day, Shatner believes that he is to blame for mismanaging the movie’s $30 million budget.
“It is on me,” he admitted. “[In the final scene] I wanted granite [rock creatures] to explode out of the mountain. The special effects guy said, ‘I can build you a suit that’s on fire and smoke comes out.’ I said, ‘Great, how much will that cost?’ They said, ‘$250,000 a suit.’ ‘Can you make 10 suits?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’”
“That’s $2.5 million. You’ve got a $30 million budget. You sure you want to spend [it on that]?” he recalls thinking. “Those are the practical decisions.”
This plan ultimately didn’t come to fruition because of mechanical issues at the end of filming.
Related: William Shatner, 91, Reveals Why He Loves To Use The F-Word
Shatner Reflects On His Legacy – Longevity In Hollywood
Last year, Shatner reflected on his legacy after confessing to Variety, “I don’t have long to live.”
“People ask about a legacy” Shatner said. “There’s no legacy. Statues are torn down. Graveyards are ransacked. Headstones are knocked over. No one remembers anyone.”
“Who remembers Danny Kaye or Cary Grant? They were great stars. But they’re gone and no one cares,” he continued. “But what does live on, are good deeds. If you do a good deed, it reverberates to the end of time. It’s the butterfly effect thing.”
As for his longevity in Hollywood, Shatner is as humble as ever.
“It’s luck. It’s the luck of being healthy,” he told Fox News in June of last year. “I think that’s the first thing… I’ve had things happen, but nothing debilitating over a period of time. So having the life force within me, is probably, mostly, what it’s all about.”
While Shatner’s modesty should be applauded, it can’t be deny that his Hollywood career is about more than just luck, as he is also incredibly talented. Hopefully Shatner doesn’t dwell too much on the negatives of Star Trek V, and instead focuses on all the great work he’s done in Hollywood that has brought joy to millions for decades!
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