How Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto Accidentally Started A Campaign For The Role Of Spock

Quinto wanted it known that he did not petition Paramount for the role of Spock, nor was he actively trumpeting in multiple interviews that he definitely wanted the part. It was just one interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in December of 2006. The actor said:

“To be clear and honest, it was really an unintentional campaign. I was giving an interview for publicity for ‘Heroes,’ and the first interview was for my hometown newspaper … and the journalist asked if there was any project I would be interested in beyond ‘Heroes’ and I said ‘I just found out they were making “Star Trek” and I would love to play Spock,’ never in a million years thinking it would add to anything.” 

The problem with little interviews in a modern media cycle is that they tend to be quoted multiple times by other outlets. Pretty soon, reporters were asking Quinto repeatedly about his Spock comment, forcing the actor to reiterate that, yes, sure, he’d love to play the part. Pretty soon, the rumors expanded in such a way that Spock started to actually become an unfettered dream role. He continued:

“[T]hat interview got syndicated and journalists subsequently brought it up and it escalated and evolved and eventually journalists were saying ‘I understand that Spock is your dream role’ and I sort of went with it ‘it is my dream role now.’ It was certainly always my dream to have this kind of experience. There is no mistake that it happened with ‘Star Trek’ and it happened with this character and it happened to be with J.J. Abrams, someone for whom I have profound respect and affinity, and yeah, it has been everything I can imagine and then some.” 

Many fans, it should be noted, loved Quinto in the role, and he’s not given up hope yet that he’ll get to play the character again.