Zachary Quinto: 'I'm Not Leaving Star Trek'

Zachary Quinto has been forced to dismiss rumors he's quit Star Trek, after comments he made in a recent interview about "stepping away" from the movie franchise sent fans into a spin.

The Heroes star plays Spock in J.J. Abrams' 2009 revival of the sci-fi saga, and is expected to return for a series of sequels.

But Star Trek devotees went into a panic this week after the actor's interview with http://www.wired.com/, in which he hints at a hiatus from the franchise, hit the internet.

He said, "I'm stepping away from Star Trek for at least two years - no movies, no conventions, no anything for a while."

But Quinto is adamant his comments were misconstrued.

In a post on his official blog, he writes, "Obviously I will be a part of any upcoming films... reprising my role as Spock. What I meant was that in the meantime I won't be making any public appearances related to the franchise - or doing any more auxiliary projects pertaining to the Trek universe (sic). I will be focusing my efforts on other projects and preparing to shoot the next film - which will be released in June of 2012... two years from now. Hence the no Trek for two years remark. Worry not Trekkers. It was a misunderstanding of context."

Zachary Quinto: ‘Spock’ DVD Feature

Check out Zachary Quinto’s feature on his character Spock from the upcoming Star Trek DVD, out November 17th.

“We’re bringing our own life to [the characters] and we’re entering into these characters at a very specific point in their journey,” the 32-year-old actor says. “So my Spock and [Leonard Nimroy]’s Spock are very different people.

Director J.J. Abrams adds, “On the other hand, the spirit of Leonard’s performance as Spock is so clearly present in what Zachary’s doing. They’re both very smart guys approaching the same character.”

Star Sighting: Zachary's a Star Winner!

Zachary Quinto accepted the award on behalf of his Star Trek cast memebers for the "Movie of The Year" at the Hollywood Awards on Monday, October 26th.

George Takei to Make History onThe Newlywed Game

Actor George Takei will publicly celebrate his union to husband Brad Altman with a history-making TV moment, as the first gay couple to appear on hit show The Newlywed Game.

The couple has been together for more than two decades and is set to appear in a special celebrity episode of the game show, which pits newlyweds against each other with a series of intimate questions.

Former Star Trek star Takei was finally able to marry Altman last September, two months before a decision by the California Supreme Court briefly legalising gay marriage in the state was overruled.

The couple's marriage remains legal, and they are eager to display their deep connection to the public when the show airs next month.

Altman tells the New York Daily News, "George and I are thrilled. It's pretty historic for us. It's going to be a great experience for both of us to see how well we really know each other after 22 years together."

Star Sighting: Big in Japan

Hot on the heels of their box office success in the U.S., Chris Pine and Eric Bana bow in Japan along with their Star Trek castmates at the sci-fi film's Tokyo premiere Tuesday at the Shinjuku Milano One theater.

Star Trek Beams To The Top Of The Box Office

The new Star Trek movie has beamed to the top of the U.S. box office, taking an astonishing $72.5 million in its opening weekend.

The figures give J.J. Abrams' film the biggest opening of any movie in the franchise's history, and forces last week's winner X-Men Origins: Wolverine into second place.

Hugh Jackman's comic book hit still managed impressive weekend takings of $27 million, taking its ten-day total to $129.6 million.

Romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past came in third with $10.5 million, followed by Beyonce's Obsessed with $6.6 million.

Zac Efron's 17 Again rounds out the top five with $4.4 million.

Meet the Cast of the New Star Trek

A brand-new cast is beaming into the iconic roles of the crew of the starship Enterprise as the revamped Star Trek lands in theaters today.

Here's your guide to the Starfleet's finest and their first forays into the enduring sci-fi phenomenon:

NAME: Chris Pine
CHARACTER: Capt. James T. Kirk
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: 2004's The Princess Diaries 2; 2006's Smokin' Aces
NEXT UP: The indie drama Small Town Saturday Night.

"As an actor you search for great roles," says Pine, 28. "This one just happened to be named James Kirk." While figuring out ways to make the part his own, he also watched William Shatner in the original series looking for "things that I felt that I could use without hitting people over the head with a bad impersonation," Pine says. "He's got a very theatrical quality that just made me smile every time." He admits donning Kirk's familiar gold uniform "was a fun day ... [but] as for the part being mine, I think people will always and forever connect Mr. Shatner to that role."

NAME: Zachary Quinto
CHARACTER: Lt. Commander Spock
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: As the evil Sylar on NBC's Heroes; season three of 24.
NEXT UP: Back bedeviling the heroes for season four.

"I was sporting a Spock bowl cut when I was 12," confesses Quinto, 31. "I have pictures to prove it." He didn't think re-adopting the Vulcan's signature hairstyle for six months "would alienate me from myself as much as it did, but that alienation is exactly what the character is experiencing. It actually deepened my character and was certainly a sacrifice well worth making" Even more helpful? Having original Spock Leonard Nimoy, "as a resource and such a generous available support system made it much easier for me to step into the experience."

NAME: Karl Urban
CHARACTER: Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: In The Lord of the Rings trilogy; The Bourne Supremacy.
NEXT UP: The crime drama Black Water Transit opposite Laurence Fishburne.

The New Zealand-born actor, 36, playing the ship's irascible doctor, proclaims himself a genuine Trekkie. "I am definitely the resident geek," says Urban, who toted a childhood Trek toy along on the cast's international press tour. "I watched it as a boy, religiously, every Saturday morning." Two days after being cast, he was at a Santa Monica stoplight when "a gentleman in a Star Trek outfit walked across the road. And I think it was just on a random day! It struck me at that point, the effect of this wonderful series has had in our popular culture."

NAME: Zoe Saldana
CHARACTER: Lt. Nyota Uhura
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Crossroads; Drumline; Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
NEXT UP: James Cameron's highly anticipated sci-fi thriller Avatar.

At first, Saldana, 30, wasn't sure why "for some reason every man on set noticed when I was working. It was like 'God, I don't know. Was it my line?'" Then she realized: It was Uhura's trademark short skirt. "Oh – okay." Her first fan encounter was with a hired driver who was once a stand-in on a Trek sequel series. "He had his entire memorabilia in his trunk," she remembers. "This could have been really freaky, but he was so respectful. But to this day I'm wondering whether he knew he was picking me up and that I was doing Star Trek, or that he happens to [always] drive his town car filled with memorabilia."

NAME: Simon Pegg
CHARACTER: Lt. Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: As the star and co-writer of the BBC sit-com Spaced and the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
NEXT UP: Voicing the one-eyed weasel Buck in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

Pegg insists he's an even more avid Trek fan than Urban and is willing to challenge him in a duel, name-checking references from the original series. "We can sort of fight in an 'Arena'-style battle where I'm wearing the Gorn mask – which makes me the bigger Trekkie!" he laughs. The 39-year-old Brit, best known for comedic roles, says he understands why die-hards might be worried about his take on the chief engineer, but explains, "Scotty is definitely a lively character, and his humor is his own – it's not at the expense of him or the film. So I hope I've done them proud."

NAME: John Cho
CHARACTER: Lt. Hikaru Sulu
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: The American Pie trilogy; Harold in the Harold & Kumar films.
NEXT UP: The comedy St. John of Las Vegas opposite Steve Buscemi and Sarah Silverman.

"My primary connection to the show was just being excited about George Takei being on television, and yelling across the house: 'There's an Asian guy on TV! Come quick! He may disappear!'" laughs Cho, 36, who was born in South Korea and raised in Los Angeles. He calls the role of the swashbuckling helmsman "a dream come true for me. What I did in this movie – flying a spaceship and having a sword fight – is exactly what my young brother and I would do for hours and hours as children, so it's weird to get paid to do that. We received no payment, oddly enough, as children to do that."

NAME: Anton Yelchin
CHARACTER: Ensign Pavel Chekov
WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE: 2007's Charlie Bartlett; Showtime's Huff.
NEXT UP: As young Kyle Reese in Terminator: Salvation.

Yelchin, 20, was actually born in Leningrad, giving him Russian roots like his character, known for his slightly exaggerated accent. "You have to stay true to the accent," says Yelchin. "It's more of a stereotype of a Russian accent than it is a Russian accent. It was fun playing around with that." Born 20 years after the original series went off the air, he didn't grow up watching Star Trek but admits, "I'm a fan now. There's just something so great about it that you can't help but really love it."

Five Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek's Chris Pine

Chris Pine's career is poised to take off at warp speed as he assumes the iconic role of Capt. James T. Kirk in the re-launch of Star Trek.

Pine, 29, filed a captain's log with People, revealing five things you may not know about the Enterprise's rising star:

His father, actor Robert Pine, played Sgt. Getraer – Erik Estrada's boss on CHiPs: "I learned that life is not always wine and roses. As a working actor, there are the fouler times. Then there are those times that are really great. It's just a matter of keeping a head on your shoulders, keeping a sense of humor, and looking ahead."

He discovered hooking up with green alien girls isn't as sexy as it may seem: "That poor girl, Rachel Nichols, was in the makeup chair for two hours getting painted, so there was a lot of green paint on my nose after many a take. It wasn't as fun as it looked. It was a long day and, yes, the makeup proved to kill any buzz that I might have gotten otherwise."

His grandmother is a big William Shatner fan: "She watched T.J. Hooker every time she babysat me. Inevitably there would be some old rerun of Star Trek, but I was not a fan by any means – just via my grandmother by proxy. I was more of a Star Wars kid." Dad recently worked with the original Captain Kirk. "He actually did a Priceline commercial with him. Shatner was a chauffer and my dad was the rich guy in the back."

He met Shatner for the first time at his charity horse show on April 25: "I did not want to make it about any kind of big meeting between the two Kirks. I wanted to support him and shake hands with him finally. I hope to get a chance to really sit down with him sometime, one-on-one. It would be a lot of fun ... In my mind, Capt. Kirk will always be William Shatner, and William Shatner will always be Capt. Kirk."

He learned stuntmen have a way of dealing with actors who miss their marks: "On my first day of shooting I ended up breaking a stunt guy's nose on the second take. A word of caution to any young actor out there: Do NOT hurt stuntmen because they will pay you back in kind. The next take after that, this big stunt guy kicked me in the stomach. He said it wasn't on purpose, but I don't know."

Star Sighting: Beam Them Up!

It's a mother-and-son reunion! Winona Ryder is positively beaming with costar Zachary Quinto at the Los Angeles premiere of Star Trek.

The actress plays the mom of Quinto's Mr. Spock in the long-awaited J.J. Abrams-directed sci-fi flick, which hits theaters May 8th.

Eric Bana Was Arrested for Showering in a Gas Station Bathroom

Before he became one of the most famous Australian actors in Hollywood, Eric Bana was showering in gas station restrooms and sleeping in his Mustang.

He recently revealed that, while on a road trip shortly after his arrival in the United States, he was arrested for taking a shower in a gas station. The police showed up before Bana had time to recollect his clothing. He said,

I slept in the car a lot. I wanted to experience everything the country had to offer...I got arrested for taking a shower in the gas station. I just got under it [the faucet] and turned it on. I was not naked. I had my jocks [underwear] on. I was able to wash my hair.

Hopefully his role in the new Star Trek movie came with a paycheck big enough to avoid any future arrests.

Matt Damon Turned Down 'Star Trek' Role

Matt Damon doesn’t want to boldly go where no man has gone before.

J.J. Abrams, the director behind "Lost" and this summer's highly anticipated "Star Trek" prequel told Life Magazine he originally wanted Matt Damon for the role originated by William Shatner.

Abrams shared, "I actually approached Matt and we had some discussions, but everything happens for a reason. On the one hand, it would have been great to work with Matt -- but at the end of the day, it was such a better move to cast the movie with unknowns."

The ‘unknowns’ Abrams is referring to are led by Chris Pine as the Starship Captain John Kirk.

Abrams hopes the cast will add to the depiction of beloved franchise characters.

"It is fun to discover the stars of tomorrow, but even more so, just like with the first Star Wars, you didn't know who those people were when you saw the movie,' Abrams explains. "You believed that guy was Luke Skywalker. You didn't recognize him from six other movies. You bought into who this guy was. It is a slippery slope when you cast any actor that is somewhat known. We weren't beholden to any fame meter."

Star Trek will be released next month and costars John Cho, Simon Pegg and Winona Ryder.

Below is the most recent movie trailer, which includes an appearance by the original Dr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy.

Chris Pine: Ready To Be the Best Captain Kirk

He may play one of TV's iconic characters in the upcoming Star Trek movie, but Chris Pine believes he can add something new to the character of Captain James T. Kirk.

"No matter what your job, there are always ways to do something better than your predecessor," he tells the May issue of Men's Health magazine. "That's why you were hired."

Not that commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise was an easy task. "When I started Trek," he says, "I didn't have time for anything else but climbing the thing and getting to the top. There's tremendous responsibility. There's tremendous pressure. But all those just clarify your vision."

Tackling the role may have been daunting, but Pine knew he had to try. "I think the most dangerous word in the English language is should," he says. "'I should have done this.' Or 'I should do that.' Should implies responsibility. It connotes demand. Which is just not the case. Life ebbs and flows."

Lately, life has brought him to a happy place, complete with a sunny and optimistic girlfriend. Just one hitch: She's a morning person and he's not. "I'm so envious of that genetic wiring that immediately puts a smile on your face," he says. "My genetic wiring just puts creases in my eyebrows."

A buff Pine appears on the cover of Men's Health magazine, which hits the stands on April 21st. The latest movie edition of Star Trek hits theatres on May 8th.

Eric Bana Reveals His Wild Side

Eric Bana may star as the ultimate evil arch nemesis in this summer's Star Trek, but the brooding heartthrob admits he had a streak of a bad boy quality in him growing up.

"I went through a little phase," the Australian actor tells Details in it's May cover story, in which he reveals that he showed up drunk to school prompting his mom to ground him for six months. "But I did a lot better than some of the guys I hung with, who have ended up dead or in jail."

For Bana, 40, getting into mischief during his teen years affected his grades at school, causing him to repeat a year of high school. "It wasn't like I was busting to get into NASA or anything," says the Hulk and Black Hawk Down star.

But now as a husband and a dad with two kids, Klaus, 9, and Sophie,7, Bana confesses that he still is prone to dark moods like everybody else with the daily grind of life.

"I do get incredibly frustrated," says Bana. "I tend to dwell on the negative." But he looks to his wife Rebecca for reassurance. "[She] is great at talking me off the ledge."