Zoe Saldana talks ‘Star Trek Beyond’ character development, Justin Lin and Idris Elba
From a set visit by Collider, Zoe Saldana gives fans a big tease for the upcoming Star Trek Beyond film, the third in the new series with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto leading a new cast of actors as the classic science fiction characters. Saldana begins by confessing that is was just fun getting the cast back together.
“It has been tons of fun, yeah. It doesn’t happen every day, you know, for actors to sort of have that ability to go back and work together, and especially if you liked each other.”
This adventure will also have an extra dose of Simon Pegg, the actor who plays Scotty, as Pegg helped write the script. Saldana says that she was “…was excited. First, I understood the action from the first read. I was like, ‘Oh, OK. I won’t need 20 days to understand this.’ I was also very proud that Simon was one of the co-writers. And it felt like a very fresh way to seeing all of us. I hope it makes sense… I think every installment that we’ve done has been very unique in terms of where they’re at, where each character is at in their own personal lives, and also as a crew.”
Saldana confirms that the crew appear to be separated at one point: “We’ve been working for two years straight. We’re exhausted. I think we kinda need a break. It’s not like we hate each other, but we need a break as people. We’ve just been working and sharing the same space. That’s how you start the movie. That’s where you see us in the beginning. And I thought it was really smart to kind of…because you kind of wonder, ‘Where is this going to go?’ Because they are starting out like they are done, like it’s the end. So how can they be challenged this time?”
The Guardian of the Galaxy star joked about getting new director Justin Lin, taking over for J.J. Abrams, saying that “I’m like pro Justin, by the way. I love J.J. We miss him. But J.J. let us know that he’s too good for us…[laughter] He’s with Star Wars folks. It’s OK.”
Saldana promised a ton of great material for the whole crew, doing action after having twins eight months before production began and previewed the rumored “rotating set.”
“It’s f***ing awesome. [laughs] That made me want to kind of do a little more. It looks amazing. There is a lot of action, but it’s also witty action. So it keeps you always…it keeps you at the edge of your seat kinda going, “Oh, my god. What’s going to happen? These people are being tossed everywhere.” It was a very challenging shoot, I heard. But it looked amazing.”
Of course fans are excited to see Idris Elba as the villain and Saldana speaks to their relationship “Our dynamic is a little hot. It’s almost steamy. It never gets there, thank God. But I’m happy that I have scenes that a lot of my character’s dynamic is going to be lived with Idris’s character, because…And I’ve worked with Idris on two separate occasions, on The Losers, and also on Takers, even thought my part was very small on Takers…
“So I love Idris dearly. I’m a huge fan of his work. So to see him in this movie, I’m so proud. And he’s so ugly to look at. [laughter] It’s like you look at him and you are like, “Oh god!” He could break the camera he is so unhandsome. [laughter]”
This is a tiny fraction of the great interview by Collider, so check it out HERE
Star Trek Beyond arrives in theaters on July 22, 2016.
