New Young Spock: 'Heroes' Star Zachary Quinto, Buddying Up With Nimoy
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
Aug 27, 2007
Looks like Leonard Nimoy has a new best friend in the making. Zachary Quinto, known as Sylar, the hair-raisingly super-powered serial killer of "Heroes," is -- as sci fi fans across the globe know by now -- going to play the young Mr. Spock in J.J. Abrams' much-anticipated 2008 "Star Trek" movie. He's met with Nimoy several times already and now tells us, "I'm cultivating as much of a relationship as he's willing to have. He's traveling right now, but I've made it clear I'd like to meet once or twice a week, for dinner or whatever" prior to production of the feature in November.
New Young Spock: 'Heroes' Star Zachary Quinto, Buddying Up With Nimoy (Wenn)
"His involvement and support really mean the most to me at this point," says Quinto. He adds that he's already working on his Spock characterization between camera calls on "Heroes," which gets its Season 1 DVD and HD DVD release today (8/28). "To step into a role this iconic and have the actor who created it at your side -- it's a true gift. I want to get to know him as a person and as an actor. Leonard is an incredibly multifaceted and fascinating artist."
Quinto says that the "Heroes" team has "been incredibly supportive of my involvement with the movie. They're figuring out what they'll need to do when I step away from the show in about nine weeks. My schedule on the movie is going to be so demanding there won't be time for juggling," he says. As far as friends and other commitments, "I'm going to be off the grid once we get going."
STAHL CHASES MONEY WITH ALAN GREENSPAN: "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl completes a three-interview session with former United State Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan next month that should provide valuable insight into America's financial crisis. She talked to Greenspan twice before heading out on vacation in July for a piece that will air in conjunction with the release of his memoir in mid-September, "Obviously we didn't get to discuss the credit problems that now exist. We'll cover that, and other last-minute financial news, when I do my third interview with him just days before the piece airs."
She is pleased that the man who emerges on the "60 Minutes" interview after many -- many -- hours of questions and answers finally dropped what she terms "Greenspanspeak." "I believe," she says, "that during his career he deliberately spoke in murky and hard-to-understand sentences -- and, in fact, he told me that he carefully worked on the language he used in congressional hearings to be deliberately vague."
Stahl, who has been a "60 Minutes" correspondent since 1991, is also working on a piece about people who search for their roots through their DNA -- and says it is turning out to be "one of the most emotional stories I've ever covered. People who don't know much about their background can be overwhelmed by it. Some of them learn what they don't want to know."
Stahl works on four or five stories at a time and says she loves such a pace. "It fits in with my personality. It keeps me sharper. I like to be pressured. I work better pressured. It bumps up the adrenaline."
WEAPON OF MASS CONSUMPTION: Jason Chambers hasn't had much time to enjoy his growing fame. The mixed martial arts fighter, actor and "Hot Guy," as he's described by adoring fans on the Internet, has been working "some days 16, 17 hours" and traveling "two weeks on, two weeks off" over the last eight months. His latest treks took him to China, Russia, Cambodia and Malaysia to shoot his "Human Weapon" martial arts show for The History Channel.
"We're kind of at the mercy of tournaments," notes the handsome 27-year-old. "This show has gotten me more out of shape than anything else. I'm used to having my diet and regimental routine, but with this you find yourself in places where they don't have the food you're used to, eating six pounds of rice. And forget having a social life," he says. Not that he's complaining. As we speak, Jason's house-hunting in L.A. in his new Mercedes, and is looking forward to a nice break, as he's wrapping up his "Human Weapon" shows for the season.
"Here in the States we're kind of getting a watered down form of martial arts," he lets us know. "What's really been cool about doing the show is learning how all the styles evolved."
FATHERHOOD: Dermot Mulroney tells us he's happy to see his good buddy Brad Pitt enjoying life as a dad, even if he did go from none to four in a matter of months. "It's pretty amazing. I have a son myself so I highly recommend it, and I'm glad he's having these advantages," notes Mulroney of Pitt finally fulfilling his familial wishes. The only down side is that the two friends don't get nearly as much time to hang out as they used to. "I haven't seen him in a little while, but we stay in touch. I know he's doing well."
(With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster)
FEEDS: News | Pop Culture | Ledger Pop | Ledger DC
