Star Trek: "I Am Not Spock" Was A Mistake Admits Leonard Nimoy
Legendary actor admits the title of his 1975 autobiography "I Am Not Spock" was a mistake.
Leonard Nimoy has given an interview to Star Trek Magazine and admits the title of his 1975 autobiography "I Am Not Spock" was a mistake. In an extract published by MTV Geek, Nimoy clarifies that the title ''I Am Not Spock'' was in no way a rejection of the character; When I was 17, I made the decision that I wanted to be an actor, not only to entertain people but to offer some kind of enlightenment to help people understand their lives and the world we live in. Being involved with Star Trek has accomplished that with an exchange of ideas and enlightenment that Im very proud of. I made a big mistake in the early 70s when I wrote my first book about my Star Trek experiences. I wrote a chapter in that book about how I was identified in an airport by a lady who introduced me to her child as Mr. Spock. This child looked at me and did not see Mr. Spock, he chuckles. So I wrote a chapter about the difference between myself and the character in an effort to give the readers some insight into how an actor goes about building a character. Its partially from him or herself and its partially from using elements of other people we may know. I called that chapter, I Am Not Spock, meaning simply that Im an actor who portrays Spock and this is how I go about doing it.Nimoy also revealed that the character he most identifies on TV is Spock;
In the same book, I said if I was given a chance to identify with any character on television, I would choose Spock. I admire him, I like him and I respect him. I would rather be identified with Spock than any other character on television. But the mistake I made was in using that title, I Am Not Spock, as the title of the book. People assumed I was rejecting Spock and Star Trek but they didnt read the book. If you read the book, youll find quite the opposite.''I Am Not Spock'' was published in 1975 and caused controversy when some fans thought that Leonard Nimoy was being disrespectful to the character that made him famous. Nimoy then wrote ''I Am Spock'' in 1995 to clear up the misunderstanding. If rumors are true, Nimoy can next be seen as Spock in the upcoming Star Trek sequel. The full interview can be read in the Official Star Trek Magazine #40 which is on sale tomorrow.
