WALTER KOENIG Explains Why William Shatner was "Excellent in the Part" of Captain Kirk

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Күн бұрын

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@wendygwen Жыл бұрын

I may be late to the party, but Shatner came from the theatre. You have to emote to the farthest row and balcony when acting in theatre. He will always be one of my favourites.

@teastrainer3604 Жыл бұрын

Actors today don't just talk without moving their lips. They also whisper, which drives me nuts.

@aldunlop4622 6 ай бұрын

Certainly, early on Leonard Nimoy used to yell too much, because he came from a theatre background, and Patrick Stewart always played Picard like a Shakespeare actor, overly dramatic at times.

@obscureentertainment8303 4 ай бұрын

Theatre acting is incredibly challenging. You have to reach the back rows while also keeping the intimacy with the first rows. That's tough to do.

@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 Жыл бұрын

I like Walter. The highlight of my young 9 year-old life was meeting him at an event in the Bentley Mall in Fairbanks Alaska in 1989 when they were promoting Star Trek V I think. I got his autograph, and asked him why he was the one always getting hurt in the films. He said it is because between him and George Takei he was the better screamer!

@cherylresnick-cortes8022 Жыл бұрын

And.....Walter Koenig, you are a gentleman and delightful human being. Your portrayal of Chekov was wonderful!

@gszikora2000 8 ай бұрын

Kenning deserved more screen time. And certainly more stories about him and the other supporting actors. Maybe of the series ran a few years longer that would have happened, like it did in TNG

@johnschaefer2238 4 ай бұрын

Was 7 when Star Trek began. Loved the sow and wrote a fan letter to Walter. Got a response about two weeks later and it included a photo of Checkov in engineering. It was signed “Fondly Walter Koenig.” First and only response I ever got for a fan letter and I still have it today.

@SJHFoto Жыл бұрын

Checkov was a great character, and Walter did a fine job portraying a naive person since he seems anything but even then

@CONNIECOLVIN-wg8bq 9 ай бұрын

If you think Chekhov was great , you should see Walter as Mr. Bester in Babylon 5. That was a true meaty role for him. Great.

@CarpeDiemBaby7891 Жыл бұрын

Couldn't imagine Walter would talking how good Shatner acting is.)) I met him in 2010 and had a chance to have a conversation with him a little. On my question about his relationships with Bill now he gave me slimy smile and said that 'now is good. Maybe it's about age and all these things but now he's fine'. So, it's obvious that Walter didn't have that issues with Bill that Takei did (and still does) and his answer here is highly adequate and respectful. Truly gentleman Walter. Admire him so much

@miller-joel Жыл бұрын

Glad they worked out their differences. Koenig being a solid guy had to be a big part of it. When Shatner interviewed Koenig on Raw Nerve, damn. That was something to see. Ironic and sad that Shatner and Nimoy went the opposite way.

@elliegonzales8212 Жыл бұрын

Shatner is a douche. That Koenig changed his tune now for whatever politics is irrelevant. Gene Roddenberry has stated Shatner is a douche....what more do you need? He was terrible as Kirk, Koenig is either playing politics or has gone senile. Compare Shatner's "performances" on TOS compared to Nimoy...it's laughable to call him a good actor.

@DavidRLentz Жыл бұрын

Mr. Nimoy's daughter (granddaughter?) after his passing wrote Mr Shatner that in his last years, as he sensed his impending end, had retreated into a sort of isolation.

@miller-joel Жыл бұрын

@@DavidRLentz Doesn't quite explain why he would completely stop talking to his best friend.

@cjmarshall0221 Жыл бұрын

@@miller-joel It happens. Believe me, I know, from personal experience.

@miller-joel Жыл бұрын

@@cjmarshall0221 I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's much more likely something else happened. We know Nimoy was very offended when Shatner included him in a documentary against his will.

@eddiea3782 Жыл бұрын

William Shatner brought Captain James T. Kirk to life. He was and is Captain Kirk. No one else can play that character. He is one of the finest actors on the planet. Nuff said.

@indranidasgupta8982 Жыл бұрын

Chris Pine did a great job. He didn't imitate Shatner, but he was inspired. Sill, it was only three movies. Shatner still rules as Kirk. It was a lifetime of a role.

@Handlealreadytaken.Trythisone. 5 ай бұрын

Chris Pine was fine as well. Captain Kirk isn't the equivalent of a Jack Sparrow, tho close.

@pellek.9052 13 күн бұрын

Koenig is a very talented in his own right. I've seen him on a black-and-white episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour with James Caan, playing a juvenile gang member. Plus, Bester of Babylon 5 always gave me chills. Nothing to do with Chekov at all. I also like him for being respectful to all of his cast members and not carrying a torch to their grave.

@jenisia3600 Жыл бұрын

Bill was amazing as Kirk, to this day i still get chills of his acting skills displayed in enemy with in

@allwaizeright9705 Жыл бұрын

Bill Shatner doesn't over act or under act. He just has a particular cadence and style.

@toddwalker4301 Жыл бұрын

Exactly

@timeportal8937 Жыл бұрын

Right on

@Cuntstantine 10 ай бұрын

It never felt like ‘overacting’ to me. Don’t get me wrong when I say this, but Kirk, great as he may be, is a very simply written character. Nothing wrong with him, yet nothing special either. Shatner made him interesting, gave him the complexity that wasn’t already there. Any other portrayal compared to his not only falls short but is rather bland.

@SlimThrull 9 ай бұрын

In his early career he did overact some. It wasn't nearly as bad as some people to to portray it, but it was there. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXq4ZHuoeKiHaM0 If you look at most of his work post 1978 or so, he becomes much more nuanced it most of his portrayals. Particularly when playing Captain Kirk. There was a massive shift is his acting between the tv series and the movies. Now, to be fair, there was also a shift in how directors wanted parts played. In the late 60s you'd see a lot less nuance in characters on TV. I suspect that was a big part of why Shater played Kirk the way he did on the series.

@acertainshape 4 ай бұрын

He acts the same way other leading men of the old school did. It was the style to be a bit hammy. I mean, actors like Charleton Heston or Peter O'Toole were the same way. They give very theatrical performances. It took a while for more method-style actors to come to the fore like Brando (although he could overact at times as well) or Dustin Hoffman.

@xeddtech Жыл бұрын

I can't help but think of him as Bester from B5. He even still looks and talks just like him

@theothertroll Жыл бұрын

The “over the top” acting on TOS was what made it great - like the horror movies Evil Dead with Bruce Campbell or even Star Wars 🤪

@KonElKent Жыл бұрын

I (obviously) wasn't there almost 57 years ago, but I appreciate how Walter Koenig is very "diplomatic" about William Shatner these days. I've seen him at Cons, especially after his appearance on Raw Nerve, where there is this sense of "I've said my piece, now I'm ready to move on..." And, as a fan of both men, it strikes me as a good course to chart.

@DavidRLentz Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this, Mr. Koenig. On a personal note, I remember your son, Andrew. I liked his silliness as Boner on Growing Pains. At the time, I had not known that he was your son.

@deanframe9095 Жыл бұрын

Well said Walter! I really love you all of you! What a great cast! You are Marvelous!

@kingsman8475 Жыл бұрын

Loved Walter on Shatner's 'Raw" peace was made.

@rburley204 Жыл бұрын

Nice to see Koenig speak positively about him, unlike Takei. Definitely Shatner and Nimoy made the series, but it was definitely an ensemble mutli cultural team effort that made the series such a success.

@teastrainer3604 Жыл бұрын

Koenig said that when Takei was away filming The Green Berets, Chevok's part was expanded to fill the void. When Takei got back to the show, he was angry with KOENIG about that! This tells you something about Takei.

@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 Жыл бұрын

The whole trope about Shatner overacting is stale. It simply is not true with regard to his acting on TOS. I grew up in the 80s so I was removed from the 60s in a way that allowed me to watch TOS objectively and Shatner only really hams it up in a few episodes, and in every single one of those he is actually playing a Kirk that is being controlled by someone else. A friend watched all of TOS with me in the early 2010s. He had never really seen TOS and his comment after we finished the series was that he expected Shatner to be a complete ham based on the popular perception of him. He was surprised to see that Kirk as a character was actually subdued most of the time and almost always listened to his crew's recommendations. Even in combat situations he was always in control, confident without being too brash. So, Shatner, like Walter says here, was excellent in the role. The over-acting only really popped up later. Even within the TOS films he only really overdid it in Star Trek V. Yes, some can point to his outbursts in Star Trek VI, but actually the outbursts were the point: It showed Kirk at his worst and how overcomes his prejudice against the Klingons. Shatner only starts hamming it up on the reg in the 2000s with Boston Legal. Now he does it when on panels and such because it is expected and as a person he likes to make people laugh.

@DaveMiller2 7 ай бұрын

Shatner came from a theater background, including Shakespeare. You have to project voice and emotion to the whole audience. That colors his acting style. He's not alone in that. The man can act. Look at Spock's death scene in TWOK.

@jackpayne5101 9 ай бұрын

Leonard Nimoy also said without William's sheer energy in the part the show would not of got off the ground, can anyone imagine him not being in it and let's face it he was very easy on the eye that also helped. 😉

@mrtrek2117 Жыл бұрын

Shatner, Nimoy, Kelly, Doohan and all the original cast ARE Star Trek, everything after IMHO is a pale reflection, although SNW is actually rather good at times and Anson Mount's portrayal of Pike is really good!

@Cuntstantine 10 ай бұрын

I wholeheartedly agree. They are irreplaceable.

@lee5111 17 күн бұрын

Great to see Walter defend Shatner's performance, he's spot on. Shatners funeral scene in Wrath of Kahn gets me in the feels every time - You believe Kirk has lost his best friend & you can feel his grief. That was an awesome performance.

@fiona8781 Жыл бұрын

I grew up as a small child with Star Trek, the actual first moon walk landing, and 2001 a space odyssey. We RAN home on the wings of the wind to watch Star Trek the original series. Although even as a small girl, I thought Captain Kirk seemed slimy with women, I still thought he was an amazing presence and the only captain of the Enterprise. I dismiss younger generations who criticize William Shatner. He was part of the fire in the cast that was the first Star Trek. Bill will be missed when he takes that final trek.

@144Donn Жыл бұрын

As Spock said of Kirk, "He is a man of deep emotion!"

@LH74 Жыл бұрын

Nobody could do “Khaaaaaaannn!!” Like Shatner. Anybody else would look foolish.

@ADAMATION2007 2 ай бұрын

I’ve met Nichelle Nichols, Shatner this past weekend- now I’d love to meet Mr. Koenig someday. And George Takei, of course.

@indranidasgupta8982 Жыл бұрын

These young people should give themselves a few mins a day and watch Shatner's other acting roles -- they have no excuse not to, its ALL here on YT. He's had a long and illustrious career and played a HUGE amount of roles and GOOD ones too.

@thatguyfromcetialphaV Жыл бұрын

I always thought The Shat was a good actor. He acted in a similar way to Jack Klugman or later on, Al Pacino with the big gestures and the occasional shout.

@petejones879 Жыл бұрын

The girl on the bottom left in the green star trek shirt.. Is bloody gorgeous.. She looks like a young Jadzia Dax.. Terri Farrell

@cherylresnick-cortes8022 Жыл бұрын

Without William Shatner, Star Trek would have died on the vine...and I have been watching since the first show in 1966!

@rmstitanic8163 Жыл бұрын

Great tribute to William Shatner. Nice one Walter. 🖖

@diningbadger953 Жыл бұрын

A generous man, Walter.

@alansmithee183 9 ай бұрын

You're a class act Mr. Koenig.

@jcraigwilliams70 Жыл бұрын

This is going to sound odd, probably, but I often think that Koenig is to Star Trek what George Harrison was to the Beatles.

@truescapertdp Жыл бұрын

Under appreciated?

@nealmacdonald9896 Жыл бұрын

I agree Walter, William Shatner is and always will be the ONLY Captain Kirk. But then there is only one Pavel Andreievich Chekov as well.

@47imagine Жыл бұрын

I hate it when interviewers ask a question that the interviewee JUST ANSWERED. 1:12 ... wtf?!

@paulpolpiboon9535 10 ай бұрын

God bless, Mr. Koenig

@chrisbrimhall1613 8 ай бұрын

Look at Shatner’s small but pivotal role in Judgement at Nuremberg…..he acted with Spencer Tracy and held his own

@ColtDee Жыл бұрын

Walter looking cool mate, your pretty good as well.

@Visual_Writer 8 ай бұрын

Tarantino is a huge Shatner Fan. This guy knows something about acting.

@rebwarwar5184 Жыл бұрын

You know what's funny , you see millions of spoofs about Shatner being very over the top and over acting style , but what I noticed is if you then go back and watch the show again , it's not even close to what shows like SNL and the like portray.

@ShayneWissler Жыл бұрын

Walter is exactly right. The acting profession has degenerated over the years, along with many other things.

@TreadwellJay 9 ай бұрын

*IF* there was any overacting in "KHAAAAN", it was Kirk's, not Shatner's. Because of Spock's coded message, Kirk already knew they were going to be picked up in 2 hours. He knew he wasn't stranded. It was for Khan's benefit.

@paddynemo5411 5 ай бұрын

Shatner admitted to some OTT moments. Just a few. In general he was fine.

@jacquesprosekticus1332 5 ай бұрын

I can't watch this, chekov always was the youngster in TOS I loved him for it. It hurts me to watch him do old. I love the cast of TOS and him specifically.

@WhittyPics Жыл бұрын

Long time since I seen that face

@annmarie6985 Жыл бұрын

❤❤❤❤❤

@CONNIECOLVIN-wg8bq 9 ай бұрын

He was the best man best captain was Kirk and Shatner made him great.

@Scripture-Man 3 ай бұрын

Star Trek without Shatner would have been… well, "The Cage". It wouldn't have lasted.

@OrionLaerithryn Жыл бұрын

Shat is Kirk, Kirk is Shat and there will never be a suitable substitute for the character. Unless AI and deepfake are in that equation. Shat's Kirk is immortal in my mind.

@vulcan-raven7394 Жыл бұрын

First! 😀

@MusicHandsAbrupt 7 ай бұрын

I have seen Shatner overact but it wasn’t in Star Trek. He played a radio talk show host, in an episode of Columbo in 1994. Absolutely horrible acting from Shatner. Pencil drawn mustache. He was just awful. Very embarrassing.

@teachermike4831 Жыл бұрын

Jeez.... these never ending commentaries on movies and sitcoms is out of control. They are only entertainment film comic books for young people. This commentators are to old to be so into this crap.