By GustavoLeao / 04:35, 5 October 2008 / Feature Films

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While promoting his new movie How To Lose Friends & Alienate People, which opened this weekend, actor Simon Pegg continues to talk about J.J. Abrams upcoming Star Trek movie in various new interviews.

Indy.com posted a new interview with Pegg. Here are few excerpts.

JS: So, if I give you my fax number, will you send me your copy of the "Star Trek" script?

SP: [laughs] Actually I don't have a copy of the "Star Trek script. When I first read the script, I was with a guy at the Toronto Film Festival last year, and the man stayed with me while I read it. I did have it obviously during the making of the film, but they were printed on paper so that we couldn't even actually touch it. But there's a rabid kind of desire to spoil things for everyone, to get a scoop on it, and say "ah, I know something about it." JJ (Abrams, the director) is adamant that it is a surprise and that it should be enjoyed the way it's meant to be enjoyed.

JS: Can you shed some light as to why the film has been pushed back to next summer, rather than the Christmas release?

SP:I think JJ is really excited about it and wants it out there, but the studio was so excited, they were like "we have to put this in the summertime," so it went back from December to May. But he would have to really, really be working 24/7 for Christmas, and I know people want it out, but I think he'd like to have more time to finesse it.

JS: How was playing Scotty? Did you feel pressure to live up to the legend, or was it more of an honor?

SP: It was really good fun. That's exactly what it was, an honor. I relished and tried to with all of my ability to treat the role with the kind of respect and gravitas it deserved. The role belongs to James Doohan. I didn't want to do James Doohan doing Scotty, I wanted to look at the character as a character on the page and perform it from there. I had Chris Doohan (James Doohan's son) as my assistant on the set, and he came and we hung out. Some of the other cast, like John Cho, got to meet their equivalents, and they were very lucky. Sadly, James isn't with us any more, so I chatted with his son and sort of got an idea of who he was and what he brought to the role, so I was lucky to be able to do that.

JS: What was it like actually going on the set, seeing the inside of the Enterprise?

SP: It was amazing. I was constantly marveling at how the production designers managed to stay utterly faithful to the USS Enterprise without making it look dated and making it look like it was built in the '60s. What they've had to navigate, since they are going back to the original, is not making it look ironic, or making it a joke in any way. I was amazed when I went back and watched the old show after I'd been shooting, about how basic the original bridge of the Enterprise was. When I walked onto set, I was like "yeah, this is it." And when you go back, and watch the TV show, and you go, "no, that was far simpler." I think people who go through the film will have to watch it twice, because they'll be geeking out the first time.

How did it feel to be chosen for geek glory to play Scotty in the new Star Trek movie? Brian Robertson SUMMERVILLE, S.C.

I thought you were going to ask, "Who the hell do you think you are?" I was thrilled, and I wasn't surprised at the reaction. I understand that it's a precious thing. You don't want it in the hands of someone who a) doesn't appreciate it or b) might seek to undermine it. Star Trek is a beloved story and is being treated as such. It's being done very seriously. There's no attempt to wink at the camera.

The full Q&A is here.

"I am a fan of the first Star Trek, but I specifically stayed away from trying to do James Doohan (the original Scotty)," Pegg told Starpulse. "We were all trying to be those characters and not the actors. So I concentrated on playing Montgomery Scott. Star Trek is about the story."

Trailer Park also posted an interview with Pegg and here is the excerpt

QUESTION: But then you have, but not to bring up Star Trek, but you cant discuss in detail but JJ has a lot more control than a lot.

PEGG: I think you get people like JJ who they just trust and say I know you know what youre doing because hes proved himself with MI3 and they know â€" and because hes done a particular kind of movie, hes the absolutely perfect guy to do Star Trek. None of the other producers are going to question whats he doing because they know if it fucks up the fans are going to be unhappy and JJ is a fan and he understands it. So in that situation its like, you do it. You just get on with it an do that. Thats why hes given that autonomy. Also, hes JJ, hehas that manic enthusiasm you couldnt possibly question.

The full interview is here.

The A. V. Club talked to Pegg about his career and of course, Star Trek. Here is the excerpt.

AVC: Could you talk about your first day filming Star Trek?

SP: It was phenomenal. I can only say I went in, I stepped onto the set, and became part of it, and had to address the characters, and it was incredible. Everyday it was another moment where I was like, "Wow. I'm about to go into this room for the first time" or "I'm having a conversation with Kirk." It was brilliant. Everybody felt like that. Every single person. J.J. [Abrams] had been on it for three months before I stepped onto the set and he was still like that. It was great. I think if someone had told me, as I sat watching the original series, eating my tea, if someone had come into the room and whispered in my ear that in 35 years you'd be talking to that character as that character, I would be like, [High pitched adolescent voice.] "What?!"

The full interview can be found here

Finally, Pegg talked to the Phoenix Tribune and here is the excerpt.

Q: Looking towards future projects, you're in the upcoming Star Trek film, playing Scotty. That must have been quite the experience for a noted sci-fi fan like yourself.

Pegg: I never for a second took that lightly. I had a really good time doing that movie, it was phenomenal fun. I never once lost sight of what I was doing. ... They're beloved characters, that people feel like they own. I can understand a certain nervousness when people go off and do something with it. I think the fan fear that is out there for the new "Star Trek" is all about the fear that it might get broken. That really isn't a concern.

The full interview is here.