Star Trek's Deep Roy Claims Keenser Originally Had Scripted Dialogue
Although he may not be a household name, Deep Roy might be the most well-known unknown actor when it comes to science fiction and fantasy films. While his name doesn't scream star power, the actor, stuntman, and puppeteer has been a part of some of the largest franchises across TV and movies. He played Fellini in "Flash Gordon," R2-D2's body double in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi," Teeny Weeny in "The NeverEnding Story," and, most notably, every Oompa-Loompa in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." He's also lent his talents to movies like "Transformers," "Leprechaun," and Steven Spielberg's most underrated film "Hook."
In 2009, Roy suited up for another sci-fi franchise, adding "Star Trek" to his already insane list of appearances. He appears in the ever-confusing Kelvin Timeline as Keenser, working under Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg) on the Federation outpost and later the Enterprise. Fans wouldn't instantly recognize Roy in the role, as the makeup department covered his face in prosthetics to transform him into Scotty's alien friend. He appears in all three films of the trilogy but barely has any lines, and if he isn't the comedic relief of the scene, he's taking the fall for some shenanigans that Scotty did.
However, Keenser wasn't always the nearly-silent counterpart to Pegg's character, as Roy originally recorded many lines of dialogue for "Star Trek."
This alien doesn't speak English
During an interview with StarTrek.com, Deep Roy revealed that the original plan for his "Star Trek" character Keenser was to have speaking lines, but J.J. Abrams and crew left them on the cutting room floor.
"I had dialogue, but they changed that," Roy told the website. "They said, 'It doesn't look right for this guy to talk because, after all, he's from another planet. He's an alien. He doesn't speak the language.' So that's what happened on the first film. I did have dialogue, but they took it out. J.J. told me why and I said, 'Sure, whatever it is, it is.' And then it just made sense for him not to speak in the second one, either." Roy continued his walk down memory lane, recalling the day he found out he'd be in the sequel, "Star Trek Into Darkness." The actor said he had already wrapped filming on "Star Trek" when Abrams called him back for one more day to film a scene of him joining the Enterprise crew. He also praised the director and his scene partner, Simon Pegg, saying, "I love Simon. Hopefully, we'll get to do another 'Star Trek' together."
In another interview, Roy commented on being one of the few actors to traverse so many different nerd franchises, saying the fans make all the hard work worth it. At Comic-Con, he told Red Carpet News TV that all of the franchises he's been a part of have been amazing, including "Star Wars" and "Doctor Who." However, "Star Trek" holds a special place in his heart, and he hopes to return for a fourth movie someday.