Paul Wesley opens up about taking on the role of Captain Kirk after William Shatner famously portrayed it.
Shatner made his debut appearance as Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series in 1965, after him several actors played the role in films, TV series or alternate timelines, including Chris Pine too, who played young Kirk in Star Trek reboot films from 2009 – 2016.
Wesley has now taken the mantle of performing the role since 2022.
In an interview with ABC News, the Vampire Diaries actor spoke about playing the iconic character in the series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Wesley recalled Shatner’s kind words about his casting as Kirk for the second season of Star Trek: Strange New World, which premiered in 2023, on X (formerly Twitter).
“Keep my ship and crew safe, Captain! Congratulations!” Shatner posted back in 2022.
“That tweet meant so much to me, it was such a touching moment. Because he didn’t have to do that. And it was very classy,” said the Smallville star.
Wesley also shared how he prepared to play Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which is a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series.
“I watched every single episode of The Original Series. Twice. The show is so iconic,” said Wesley during the interview. “Obviously, it was such a huge part of American history, pop TV history, and the role of James T. Kirk is arguably one of the most famous roles on television.”
The 43-year-old artist also shared details on how tried to bring something new to Kirk’s personality.
“William Shatner is unbelievably confident in his portrayal of Captain Kirk, it’s so unbelievable his charm and confidence,” said Wesley.
The actor in order to make his character learning to become a Captain he said, “I thought my version of Kirk isn’t captain yet, so should I make him perhaps a little less surefooted. Maybe a little more vulnerable.”
The third season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is currently airing on Paramount+.