Movies - TV
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan Almost Lost Both Leonard Nimoy And Spock
By JEREMY SMITH
“Star Trek: The Motion Picture” didn’t do well at the box office, and the filming process frustrated Leonard Nimoy so much that he almost didn’t return as Spock in the sequel.
Nimoy described this in Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman's book “The Fifty Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years.”
He stated, “I really was adamant that I would not work on ‘Star Trek II’ because I had been so frustrated with the other and I was feeling very negative about the whole thing.”
Producer Harve Bennett and screenwriter Jack B. Sowards improvised a hail mary to change the actor's mind. They desperately made huge concessions to secure Nimoy's involvement.
Bennett called Nimoy in hopes of appealing to his struggles with the film. He asked, “Leonard, how would you like to play your death scene?”
Nimoy said yes, stating, “The more I thought about it, the more I thought, ‘Well, maybe that's the honest thing to do. Finish it properly rather than turn your back on it.’”