Shatner Goes 'Over the Hedge' To Cannes

He may play possum in Over the Hedge, but William Shatner (Kirk) made a lively impression at the Cannes Film Festival, where he discussed his role as pop star Avril Lavigne's father and his own singing career.

"They were kind enough to let me fool around with the dialog and do impressions and then do jazz riffs on themes they asked me to say," Shatner explained to The Jakarta Post, saying that he doesn't believe the film's message is as significant as its impact as entertainment. "This film is about family and the underlying values of family and in addition to that, it's [about] preservation of the environment for the future of the family - and all that underlies this delightful story of a family of little animals who want to survive," he explained.

Because the voices were dubbed at different times in the studio, Shatner had only met the director and producer before arriving at Cannes. Having seen the film, he added, "I bowed down to Avril Lavigne. I melted at Bruce Willis' foot and, uh, subjected myself to all kinds of humiliation." He had done voice tracks for the film several years ago to give the animators material to work with, but rerecorded everything as the story evolved for the final film.

Though he never applied the term "has-been" to himself, Shatner said he called his last album Has Been as a commentary on the way the phrase gets used in tabloid journalism. "I didn't apply it to myself...so somebody's popular at one time and now it's not popular. I mean, that's the way life is." He waas disappointed not to get to sing with fellow Canadian Lavigne on the soundtrack for Over the Hedge, laughing that although he did record a track for the film, he didn't think she wanted to sing with him.

Asked why he thought Star Trek and Captain Kirk were still popular, Shatner joked that if he knew the answer, "Paramount would seek me out right now for the next movie...maybe the fact that 300 years from now we'll exist is so hopeful that people watch it." He said that the books he has written with Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens show what he would have done with the role of Kirk "had I had the freedom to do so." The reason How William Shatner Changed the World was so named, he added, was because he was not allowed to use Star Trek or Captain Kirk in the title due to copyright issues with Paramount, "so we had to use my name. It's a little embarrassing but I've survived that."

Shatner said that what he would like to do next is "to work with a great director and do something good." On the other hand, said the star of Boston Legal, which will return for a third season next year, "I'm so delighted with what's happening with me, and to wish for more seems arrogant.

The full article is in The Jakarta Post.

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