William Shatner - Kevin Pollak's Impersonation (Paley Center Interview, 2004)

Actor William Shatner talks about comedians (Kevin Pollak & others) who impersonate him.
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[@Brainbuster]

Nobody can recognize themselves in a good impression. One of my friends did an impression of me and I was like, "What the hell is that?" But all of my other roommates were laughing hysterically.

[@pikemeredith5604]

Remember: Imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery as the saying goes & Kevin Pollack does Shatner proud as Kirk.

[@870Rem12gauge]

Pollacks impression is damn good on Shatners delivery. "Scotty, I want answers, Mister!"

[@davidfoust4607]

William is a great guy and does a lot of charity work, was an honor to do volunteer work for the charity he was raising money for. At the dinner afterwards, he gave a very beautiful speech about the charity and thanked those who helped make it a success , then Mancow stood up and said "I'm sitting at the table with William freaking Shatner!" like a fan boy.

[@lonmcq7317]

Shatner's sense of humor about himself is so dry... he's definitely in on it... love Bill...

[@Bikewithlove]

Oh he loves Pollack. If Bill really didn’t like Kevin’s impersonation of him, this video wouldn’t exist.

[@Buttsac]

he doesnt understand that Kevin Pollack is imitating early Captain Kirk more than Shatner himself

[@MrJamberee]

He understands. Everybody imitates Kirk- not Shatner.

[@73challenger5031]

Don't get me wrong but, I LOVE Shatner and realize he's got a huge ego! He might act a little put-off by impersonations of himself but, we all know he loves the attention and he's a good actor so, he's really just acting his "Public Shatner" role! Yeah! He's THAT good!

[@Mozart1220]

Shatner also explained that he developed that "style" because they did Trek episodes so fast it was hard to memorize lines. He...had to...think a second...to remember what he...was supposed to..............say! Then he was on stage in a play and it was going badly. The audience just wasn't getting it . So the next night he emphasized...every word...making sure that certain things were...ALONE.....when he said them...like CAPTAINJAMEST KIRKOFTHESTARSHHIPENETERPRIZE, and then...left a....pause... The audience responded. LOL

[@PabloRosatti]

Kevin Polack, in his stand up, while imitating William Shatner, said that William was the king of over acting.

[@ramuk827]

Love William Shatner. His range is incredible, from Captain Kirk to Denny Crane in Boston Legal. Wonderful actor

[@ZenGeekDad]

Bill, you're an icon, a one-of-a-kind gift to fans of thinking/non-mythological sci-fi. But Kevin's riffs were both crazy-fun and accurate. And I would never have loved your work so much, if you hadn't played Kirk with such absolute commitment and larger than life personality.

[@orangie84]

It's funny how Shatner is saying he doesn't talk like that.... As he is talking..... "like that".... lol

[@noah-4482]

I donT... Talk.. like that

[@suziejane1008]

Exactly. Although impersonations are always funny in a sense because they are exaggerations of the original - in this case, I'm not sure how much an exaggeration it is!

[@danyv1826]

It's literally when u say to an Indian guy about indian accent...they r like "we don't sound like that"...while using that accent lol

[@scottrackley4457]

He knows exactly what he's doing, parodying himself. He seems to have fun with it.

[@scottrackley4457]

Guys, he's doing it intentionally, hes a ham of the first order, and having fun with it.

[@scottrackley4457]

Hate to tell you Bill, but Kevin has you all dialed in. Don't worry though, he has Walken and Arkin all dialed in too.

[@Kazyman]

Pollack does great, but the one who actually SOUNDED like Shatner was Joe Alaskey. See if you can find him in a Just For Laughs(?) vid (YEARS ago) here on YT. AMAZING likeness.

[@GBPaddling]

Pollak's Columbo is on another level..

[@ironmanjakarta8601]

Shatner recently admitted after he was "forced" to watch himself pausing a lot on Star Trek that the reason he paused was simple, he was just trying to remember his next line.

[@Trev359]

That's rubbish. If it is true it prooves how bad he is. A good actor doesn't need to pause like that to remember his lines. Certainly not that often, anyway.

[@rich1051414]

No, he is just being funny and coming up with a stupid excuse. It is just his style of delivery.

[@mem1701movies]

Richard Smith he said that he started doing that type of acting because he was in a play and people were getting up and leaving. He then started. DOING. ... THAT...to WILL....... them BACKintheirseats

[@BenjaminWirtz]

Thats honestly wgat it sounded likem. Like he forgot his line mid sentense.

[@koningbolo4700]

So he is overacting AND a sloppy script study then? In jargon that would be called overcompensating...

[@KellyRiddellMusic]

I love Shatner so much. XD I think he might be my favorite actor ever.

[@nunyabizness6595]

Shatners early work you see how restrained his acting is. It was only around season two of Trek when when he was flush with the success of finally landing a regular series that some haminess started to come out.And he was still great!

[@lougideon2221]

What a good bloke. Tongue in cheek, good humoured, funny, puts the whiners from Star Trek in perspective. He's a generous man.

[@tootsiejoon]

I think Kevin Pollak does a great job imitating Bill!

[@gefloigle]

I love Shatner-grew up with Trek. I listen to all kinds of Audiobooks on long endurance bicycle rides and recently listened to “Shatner Rules.” It was very difficult to keep riding while laughing hysterically. He’s a legend. And hearing Kevin Pollak’s version of this story is hilarious as well.

[@mattanderson861]

Nice to see Mr. Shatner has a sense of humor. Refreshing these days.

[@xxlCortez]

"Do me." "We're not THAT good friends, Will."

[@Poetic_Justice1962]

Great sense of humor coming from a big heart. Shatner is still in command.

[@amightysailingman]

Shatner has admitted before that the reason for his distinctive pause then blurt dialogue delivery is that he would be trying to remember his lines then quickly get them out in time.

[@connieplankghost]

Shatner is The man! i grew up with that man!

[@robertpolanco1973]

Personally, I ENJOY William Shatner being funny. He is definite natural at being a comedian. I would love to see him trying his comedic role on TV again. He should be doing it on "The Big Bang Theory."

[@juffurey]

You're referring to 3rd rock from the sun? one of my favorite sitcoms ever, don't care for big bang theory though tbh

[@robertpolanco1973]

Well, I didn't care for "3rd Rock from the Sun," to be honest, though. I certainly do care for "The Big Bang Theory."

[@LadyhawksLairDotCom]

3rd Rock is underrated. :)

[@robertpolanco1973]

Yeah. Sure. So were "Quantum Leap" and "Amazing Stories" from the 1980's.

[@juffurey]

Robert Polanco you've obviously never even seen it, and barely even heard of it. shatner was just a guest star on a few episodes, and the series spanned from the '90s to the '00s.

[@GNeuman]

Absolute L E G E N D.........I love THE SHAT!

[@antonnym214]

In an interview on another talk show, Shatner admitted "Kevin Pollak does a better William Shatner than I do."

[@michaellangan4450]

He is not doing Shatner but Kirk.

[@arhatyellow]

William Shatner in 'The Andersonville Trial' was one of the finest things ever on television. Circa 1967 (?)

[@cherylresnick-cortes8022]

Brilliant performance!

[@darrinbaker00]

Shatner: "Do me." George Takei: "It's about time you came out, Bill."

[@baconbitsbelcourt4853]

😂😂

[@willwilliams7491]

Now, that's funny Darrin! :)

[@jimmymoss3240]

"Oh, MYYYYY."

[@denischarette7972]

That`s a good one.

[@ThriveVolleyball]

I listened to Kevin's version of this story last night. It's awesome to hear Shatner's version :-D

[@folarinosibodu]

I love how the audience can pretty much just read his mind.

[@lorakendall4940]

So funny william shatterner. I ♥️ him‼️🚁🖖🚁🖖🚁🖖🚁🖖🚁🖖

[@maynerdkrebs1083]

During the Boston Legal years, Bill was the funniest man on TV.

[@coatlecue]

one of the most imitated people of all time. mr polecat's version though funny obviously is the product of much study respect and enjoyment. he realy is one of the best all around voices and does a nearly perfect kirk

[@anacostabrazil]

LOL Bill is hilarious!!

[@DesertScorpionKSA]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

[@AndrewHeard]

That's awesome. Gotta be an impersonator's worst nightmare but it seems like he took it in stride.

[@scorpius6667]

Even William Shatner has to admit Kevin Pollack does a pretty funny impersonation of him!

[@kilroy987]

Shatner really does spin and contort in his chair while he speaks.

[@Deadbuck73]

Sincerest form of flattery....

[@barbthornell4786]

Oh look! Shatner doing a Shatner impression! He's really quite good you know...

[@Zoomer30]

Kevin Pollak boiled down the key to a good Christopher Waken impression like this: Take a one syllable word and make it a two syllable word. There you have it.

[@SpaceBuckaroo]

BTW Kevin Pollak is spot on.

[@philippaul6039]

I just want him to be in another great Star Trek movie before he dies

[@danmax7456]

I love the character admiral Kirk. But when it comes to my experience meeting William shatner, I'm lost for words !

[@GoatHoovesInSpats]

What was your experience?

[@dougthemoleman]

Kevin absolutely nails Kirk. Maybe not Shatner in real life. But Shatner does ham it up on Star Trek. And a good impression is like a caricature, it exaggerates the distinct features a little bit.

[@Monkofmagnesia]

When David Brenner had his own late night show, he had an episode where the only guests were Shatner and Nimoy. Than Brenner brought out Kevin Pollak who did his ST Routine in front of them, occaisionally breaking character ashe relaized what he was doing. Shatner acts as if their meeting was the first time he ever saw Pollak do his act.

[@MurrayJoe]

Yes, Bill, he does a good impersonation of you.

[@silverpslm]

Next time a do a Shatner impression, I'll say, "A-BOO! A-BEAR! NE-SEAR!"

[@krisscanlon4051]

He is doing Shatner while relaying the story 😂

[@joecap2919]

Kevin Polock does a great Shatner

[@akinbobolaz]

BEST CANADIAN EVER!

[@wingman-1977]

When he passes away, it’s going to be a sad day.

[@squamish4244]

Shatner knows damn well that they're doing impressions of his character on the tv series. He's being deliberately obtuse XD

[@rapturereadyyt]

People are not doing an Impersonation of you, they are doing a character of you.

[@Maximillionaire666]

I love Shatner, but I think he's wrong about Pollack. He may over exaggerate, but Pollack impression is both funny and somewhat accurate.

[@haczabim]

0:34 he's clearly enjoying the moment

[@Spheremaster0001]

I would use toyota technology to skip commercials on youtube.

[@WalterLiddy]

Of course Pollack's impersonation is accurate - that's why it's so famous. At the same time, a good impersonation involves exaggerating the recognizable patterns in the way someone behaves. It's always stylized, not a perfect reproduction. But Shatner should at least allow that if everyone hears him in Pollack's impressions, they must be good.

[@Dakers11]

Pollak Impersonating Shatner is really about personalities. "Per-sunn-al-lities !!"

[@DSGNflorian]

James Garner, James Stewart, Cary Grant, Michael Douglas, and many more of "the big names" pretty much always played every role the same way with very distinctive, readily recognizable speaking styles and mannerisms, but when Shatner does it, it's "overacting"? What does that mean, anyway? His signature role, Captain Kirk, could have been forgettable, vapid, totally blah, run-of-the-mill typical American leading man stuff from the 1960s, yet he turned it into one of the most memorable, even legendary parts in popular culture. He was fantastic in it, "overacting" and all. Shatner has "his" style...so do many of the other big names, yet nobody seems to fault them for it. Why do people love to hate on Bill's work so much?

[@sirstrongbad]

I think part of the reason he doesn't hear it is the same reason you don't sound like yourself if you hear a recording of your own voice... it doesn't match up with what you hear in your own head when you talk.

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

Nurse Chapel you pitch!!!..............

[@TheOriginalMassOps]

the thing is he does do that.

[@MAbduser]

It's always funny how people can't see how they talk and refuse to believe it when they see someone else doing them.

[@davidhunt8456]

Captain Kirk does pause between words . Pollack has him down pat.

[@piehound]

That's a bloomin' riot.

[@randy944]

good impressions always have exaggeration.

[@johngranato2673]

He's 73 here

[@koningbolo4700]

There are obviously major discrepancies as to how the world views Bill Shatner and how Bill Shatner views Bill Shatner...

[@jerico641]

It's true, though; he does do the "BAH, WADH, HUHN!" stuff, he's just so full of dopa-mine he doesn't see it. Don't get me wrong, though; Shatner's great; one of a kind.

[@00BillyTorontoBill]

Captain's orders..

[@omitof2941]

Ya SHatner is actually a little more normal than comedians make him out to be...

[@doolindalton]

hy s o funny

[@tootsiejoon]

😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣

[@simpsonmark]

I have watched a few interviews with Shatner and he can never remember names.

[@Kazyman]

Pollack does great, but the one who actually SOUNDED like Shatner was Joe Alaskey. See if you can find him in a Just For Laughs(?) vid (YEARS ago) here on YT. AMAZING likeness.

[@jazpertube]

Pollack is more convicing as Shatner

[@joshuar8261]

Bill youuuuu, dnt undrstnd.

[@EpicAwesomeWin87]

Adblocker Plus does the job.. and it's free.. wich a Toyota isn't.

[@stevenspenneberg7407]

But...you DO do that.

[@MrHairyNeck]

Great story but the punchline was a bit flat.

[@maxxmasson4263]

for me William Shatner will always Captain Kirk ,and sadly to my nephews he will always be T J Hooker

[@BBQFanNo1]

hahahahahahaha

[@flatulatingmarmoset]

Mwhaha!

[@arielroman8644]

unusual suspect ,i think was Kevin Spacey...

[@worldtraveler007]

Ariel Roman Both Kevins were in it.

[@pops1507]

He's big on riding horses - pity the caballo.

[@phampton6781]

Doing an impersonation of someone else impersonating yourself takes some acting ability.

[@kurtjk01]

That argument you made is dead, Jim.

[@thealaskan1635]

a little apprehensive? Gee! I wonder why!

[@brynkasson8100]

Kevin Pollak does a better Shatner than Shatner

[@InkySquid17]

Keven Pollack does Shatner better than Shatner.

[@zenzmurfy]

I don't think Shatner ever did Kirk the same after the series ended.

[@tyro244]

Geez. He cannot even do himself. LOL

[@jameshudson169]

Shatner talks like Trump.

[@crysjumar1]

denial

[@TheLonesomeChef]

sorry Willie, thats not the way the impression goes. Take it like a man.

[@juresaiyan]

To be perfectly honest, I never liked Shatner, although am a Star Trek fan. :D

[@briancox1124]

what up with shatner has he no sense of humor?

[@MsPepperbelly]

I think this reveals a lot about the kind of person Shatner is. He has a reputation for being an asshole and I think it is revealed in the fact that he can't recognize how he appears to his audience. I think he really thinks he's not like the impressions of him. Sean Connery, another, asshole, is the same way. Interestingly I think it is this self delusion that is the part of their success. If they were really self aware they might be too self conscious to be actors.

[@lindadauter9447]

Kevin Pollak is lousy at imitating Bill Shatner in my opinion.

[@richardhead8264]

Someone once said "Hiring William Shatner is a bargain! For every dollar you spend, you get two dollars worth of acting!" 😂🤣

[@Jojodancer20100]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Oh damnnnnnn

[@MidnightMinstrel]

I like William Shatner, he doesn't take himself too seriously and he is quite a naturally funny guy!

[@marioiacolucci]

very true!

[@mulder19x95]

Like super old comment but no he does take himself too seriously. He has lightened up a lot thankfully but he is very known for being a highly arrogant jerk. In fact 99% of the original ST cast did not like him one bit because of it. He thinks he is this wonderful actor when in actuality he isnt.

[@robertmiller1270]

@@mulder19x95 Yessir, he once blew up in a talk radio interview when the guy asked him about his rug. Plus side to me, he was very funny on boston legal.

[@martyemmons1859]

@@robertmiller1270, 'rug'? Do you mean toupee?

[@VAPIDISM]

@@martyemmons1859 Toupee or rug its all the same. Toupee or not toupee that is the question.

[@lighthouse44]

How can anyone not love William Shatner? The guy never takes himself too seriously, he's totally comfortable poking fun at himself, and he never loses sight of the fact that he is in the entertainment business. He gets it.