Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime

Two men,

passionate actors, closest of friends.

Born just four days apart,

they share more than just being of the same generation,

but a legacy that helped to define many generations.

Now they can finally look back

with the only other person on the planet

who can truly identify with their amazing journey

to boldly go where neither man has gone before,

and along the way reveal the secrets

behind the voyage of a lifetime.

This is a beautiful setting,

Thank you.

- reflecting the beauty that is in you and your wife,

mostly your wife. - Do you know...

- Give a little, take a little. (laughs)

Give a compliment, take it away. (laughs)

- Never be totally generous. (laughs)

- Did you know that I used to drive

a taxi in this neighborhood?

- No. - I did.

- Come on. - I did.

- We are in one of the better sections,

and perhaps the best section,

but who's counting, of Los Angeles,

and you drove a cab up here ferrying

the movie stars to their homes?

1956.

- There were no movie stars over here.

10 years before you and I met.

Was all oil money.

And I was just outta the Army.

And while I was in the army, I got married,

and my daughter, Julie was born

in Atlanta, Georgia at the Army post hospital.

And my wife was expecting our second baby.

I came outta the army with no money,

and very little in the way of any career expectations.

And I had to pay the rent.

So the first thing I did was take a job driving a taxi.

Nights.

- That's wild, did you make any money?

- I went a long time before I could

actually make a living as an actor.

I mean, from the time I decided to be an actor

when I was about 17

to the time that we met and started to do Star Trek

when I was about 35,

about 18 years there,

about 15 years of it actually here in Los Angeles

looking for work as an actor.

I never had a job that lasted any longer

than two weeks as an actor.

- So what would you have made in those two weeks,

or what did those 15 years average out as an actor?

Oh, very little, very little.

The money was very small.

But living expenses were not that high either.

And I always worked at something else.

I would always take some kind of a job

working at a market, or driving a taxi,

or delivering newspapers, or working at a pet shop, or...

So, give me an idea

of how much money you made in a year.

- As an actor? - Yeah.

Couple thousand dollars.

Four... Five... 4,000... 5,000... was...

- A big year was the...

Six... 10 was my goal.

I thought if I make 10, I could support a family.

- And in those years, 10,000 would've supported a family.

- Would support a family.

Tell me about your early years. We never talked about that.

- Well, I had exactly the opposite experience, I started...

- To make great fortunes instantly. (laughing)

Piddling amounts constantly.

So, how come?

But I always made money at...

- How come you had an easier time of it than I did then?

I don't know.

It's an interesting question. What?

The flip answer is obvious,

but rather than go there, it is...

- Are you better looking than I am?

No.

Are you more talented than me?

- No, see, I brought my glasses to show you

that I don't really need them. (Leonard Nimoy laughing)

It is in fact luck.

I had a number of years

of what's known as building character.

- It is. - Character building years.

- Do you think that made you bitter at all?

No, no, no.

I, no, On the contrary, I very grateful.

I was bitter at then. Yes.

I was very unhappy. Very angry.

- Angry. Now who are you angry at?

- It was a very general kind of anger.

That in those years, the studios had,

as I'm sure you recall, a certain kind of structure

for actors, contract actors.

They would put under the contract,

and use them and move them along,

hopefully from smaller roles to bigger

and bigger and bigger roles.

And then maybe to stardom.

My problem was that the people that they were hiring,

were blonde charming looking guys, blue eyed,

handsome, young guys like you.

So I became angry at you.

That's the answer.

- That's where it began.

I had great confidence

and I didn't wanna be dealt with lightly.

I didn't wanna be dismissed lightly.

I wanted to be taken seriously.

That was a major thrust for me to be taken seriously.

So...

- And to retain as much dignity as possible...

Okay.

And Under tough circumstances.

Okay, now.

That's so interesting, that statement right there.

- Yeah. - Okay.

Because the Leonard I know is that man filled with...

- Anger? - No.

No.

- Art. - Yeah.

- The love of art. The love of people.

The love of... The love of life,

the love of food, the love of...

Look at your beautiful home. It reflects you.

They now say, got this wonderful part,

I'm gonna put ears on you.

And we may snip off the ears,

the old story of maybe we snip them off.

Maybe we don't snip them off,

and you're gonna do a mind meld,

and you're gonna hold up your hand and make a "U".

I know.

Yeah. See, I can't do that.

That was your Judaic idea.

I... the wonderful creation you made, as Mr. Spock,

does not carry with it the elements

of dignity and taken seriously that you're talking about.

You would rather have been Hamlet.

- Well, let's back up for a moment.

My hope and dream was to make a living as an actor

and to play character roles.

And what really attracted me

and made the the Spock character valid for me,

made it worthwhile pursuing,

was the idea that this character

had a very interesting internal life.

Internal life based on a genetic conflict.

A human mother and a Vulcan father.

That conflict, that internal conflict,

gave me a sense that there was something

constantly brewing in his character.

Some of these characters,

this character was constantly working on himself

in some way,

was constantly conscious of his internal struggle

and therefore was alive.

I think we all have these internal struggles.

I think young people go through periods

where they're trying to figure out how to balance

the right brain versus the left.

How to balance their logic

and the things that must get done

and that are real versus their emotions,

which may or may not be based on reality.

I understand all that.

So it gave me a life.

- You're bringing, you brought your art.

Right.

To this part.

- Well, that's a nice way of putting it.

Well, no, it's true.

- I agree. - It's absolutely true.

And a certain amount of craft.

- No, all... Not a certain amount.

You brought a great deal of craft and a great deal of art.

To the part of Mr. Spock.

But you still can't get past the fact

that what we all were performing in,

was, you know, a series.

It was cartoonish.

Now we get to that.

Now, you're absolutely right. So, the concern was...

- So, when they say, Spock, Mr. Spock,

is not, hey, loved your Hamlet. Okay?

No. (laughs)

So it doesn't fit

with the picture you wanted to paint.

- No. So there was a constant struggle

to keep the focus on the dignity of the work

and there was a constant concern that the work be seen...

Should not be seen as frivolous and silly.