Star Trek's Karl Urban chats with Blockbuster.co.uk about bringing Bones back to life. Marshall Julius reports.
As a child, Kiwi actor
Karl Urban dreamed of boldly going where no man had gone before, of exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new life and new civilisations. Now 37, the lifelong Trekkie can finally say that he's done just that, having delivered a perfectly uncanny performance in
J.J. Abrams' new
Star Trek, movie as ship's doctor Leonard 'Bones' McCoy, a remarkable feat of acting that sees the actor channeling the spirit of
DeForest Kelley's original performance without descending into parody or impersonation.
"I watched Star Trek a boy, religiously, every Saturday morning," remembers Urban with a smile. "About two years before I found out that they were making this new Star Trek, I bought the entire DVD box set and watched it with my son, so by the time they started casting, I didn't feel the need to go back and study up. I felt I knew the characters and the archetypes and the relationships really, really well. And so for me, I feel a little bit like one of the lunatics who gets to drive the bus in the asylum. It was a wonderful experience."
Being true to the character first created by Kelley was Urban's top priority. "I felt it was important as a Star Trek fan, if I wasn't in this film and was going to go and see it, which I definitely would, I would appreciate to see some sense of continuity to the Star Trek I had known. So how I approached the role was really to try and identify and capture some sort of essence and the very spirit of what the late Mr Kelly did so wonderfully well for 40 years and kind of infuse that into my interpretation into what a younger Bones would be. And that was the challenge for all the cast really, not to deliver some kind of carbon copy, and thankfully none of us did."
Rumour has it that, during the shoot, Karl took his son's model Enterprise on location. To play with. "And it broke," admits the
Lord of the Rings veteran, "so I need to get a new one. But it was originally mine; it was my Star Trek toy when I was a kid, and I took it around to all the locations around the world that we went to and we put it in photographs with all the cast members... you had to be there!"
Though Urban's son, eight year-old Hunter, has yet to receive a new Enterprise toy, he was nevertheless thrilled to see his dad in J.J. Abrams' epic reboot of Star Trek, available now on
Blu-ray and DVD from Blockbuster.co.uk. "That was the real thrill, for me," explains the actor," to be able to take Hunter along to see it. It was a fantastic moment for me as a father to be in a movie that not only could my son see, but also that it be so wonderful. I feel very blessed and privileged."
Blessed, privileged and now beloved by Trekkies the world over. "I personally feel very grateful that there is an entity of fans out there who have such a deep admiration, respect and love for Star Trek. We're very lucky to have them. And, indeed, if it wasn't for them, the original series would have been canceled after the second season, so we're thrilled that this movie we've made, that we're proud of, that we love and had such fun making, has been so well received, appreciated and loved by those fans, because there's a lot in there for them.
"At the same time, though," Karl concludes, "it doesn't matter if you haven't seen a Star Trek movie or TV series before. There are so many wonderful characters and it's such a phenomenal ride, you can get in on ground level and have a fantastic time. So, kudos to J.J."