The Unexpected Reason Why Zachary Quinto Needed Glue To Film Star Trek
Following in the footsteps of the late Leonard Nimoy's iconic Mr. Spock from the original "Star Trek" TV series and films, Zachary Quinto would don the pointy ears of everyone's favorite Vulcan science officer in J.J. Abrams' initial "Star Trek" reboot, as well as appearing in "Star Trek: Into Darkness," and "Star Trek: Beyond" (per IMDb).
Interviewed about taking on the role at TrekMovie.com, Quinto had to cop to the fact that he wasn't actually much of a Trekkie at the time he was cast. "I am familiar with the series, certainly watched the series and saw the movies I was always interested in it peripherally," he admitted. He went on to say that even though he's not a card-carrying Trekkie, he was nonetheless fascinated by the prospect of bringing his POV to the role. "I never really got too deeply involved in the mythology of it, which is part of what excites me about doing the movie and being part of this re-imagining of the franchise," Quinto said. And while the actor would undergo the expected modifications in hairstyle and ear-and-eyebrow profiles to achieve full Vulcan-ization, Quinto actually had one serious physical flaw in his portrayal of the legendary Spock.
Zachary Quinto needed glue to faithfully personify Spock
As originated by Leonard Nimoy in the late 1960s "Star Trek" TV series, the traditional Vulcan hand sign of greeting or parting involves extending the hand with the palm flexed away from the body and the ring and middle digits spread apart from each other. In a 2009 article from the Daily Mail, Nimoy was quoted as saying that he based this integral element of his Spock character on a Jewish hand gesture signifying "Almighty God." "I was taken to an Orthodox synagogue by my grandfather when I was about five or six and saw the rabbi doing it," he added. "I remember being very impressed."
Unfortunately, when it came time for Quinto to replicate the universally recognized salute on the set of the new "Star Trek" film, he was simply unable to manage it. "It's much harder than it looks," he admitted. As a result, the filmmakers employed the less-than-special effect of using skin-friendly superglue to stick Quinto's uncooperative digits together. So, while in all other respects Quinto rose to the challenge of portraying one of the most beloved characters ever to beam itself into pop-cultural consciousness, he did, in fact, require some glue-based assistance to stick the landing as Spock in "Star Trek."