Despite his major Hollywood career and success, William Shatner often looks back on his biggest regret in life when it comes to “failing” when working on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier film.
Shatner made his name in the Star Trek series as Admiral James T. Kirk and reprised his role in the 1989 film which he implies was doomed from the start.
“I wish that I’d had the backing and the courage to do the things I felt I needed to do. My concept was, ‘Star Trek goes in search of God’.
“Management said. ‘Well, who’s God? We’ll alienate the nonbeliever, so, no, we can’t do God’. And then somebody said, ‘What about an alien who thinks their God?’.
“Then it was a series of my inabilities to deal with the management and the budget, I failed. In my mind, I failed horribly,” he told The Hollywood Reporter of is subsequent steps to making the film – of which he directed.
Shatner continued: “When I’m asked, ‘What do you regret the most?’ I regret not being equipped emotionally to deal with a large motion picture.
William Shatner played Admiral James T. Kirk in Star Trek
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“So in the absence of my power, the power vacuum filled with people that didn’t make the decisions I would’ve made.”
After the Star Trek film was released and thousands flocked to watch the blockbuster, it was quickly criticised for its lack of execution and being an overall disappointment.
Shatner explained that he personally took on the blame, even when people questioned the help he received from the budget and support teams.
“It’s on me. [In the final scene] I wanted granite [rock creatures] to explode out of the mountain. The special effects guy said, ‘I can build you a suit that’s on fire and smoke comes out of it’.
Shatner opened up about his biggest regret within Star Trek V: A Final Frontier
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“I said, ‘Great, how much will that cost?’ They said, ‘$250,000 a suit.’ ‘Can you make 10 suits?’,” he reiterated when giving an example of mismanaging his $30million budget.
Unfortunately for Shatner, his plan didn’t materialise due to mechanical issues toward the end of filming, but that didn’t put a stop to his successful acting career beyond Star Trek.
He recently discussed the longevity of his career, and told Fox News Digital last year: “It’s luck. It’s the luck of being healthy.
“I think that’s the first thing… I’ve had things happen, but nothing deliberating over a period of time. So having the life force within me, is probably, mostly, what it’s all about.”
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William Shatner opened up about his biggest movie regret
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Alongside his Star Trek success, Shatner has also starred in The Big Bang Theory, A Christmas Horror Story, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and Miss Congeniality.
His recent appearance is a crowdfunded documentary, You Can Call Me Bill, which celebrates his life, career and morality on his 93rd birthday.