Yelchin, the New Chekov, Knows His Russian

Anton Yelchin, who will play Pavel Chekov in the upcoming Star Trek feature film, said that he is looking forward to working with J.J. Abrams on the film.

In a brief video interview with Collider.com, Yelchin confirmed that Chekov would be younger than the rest of the crew. "They're all in their 20's or 30's or whatever," he said of the others.

As for why he was cast, the Leningrad-born actor joked, "I guess...I can do a Russian, familiar with Russian people. Very, very familiar." Yelchin's parents were champion ice skaters in the Soviet Union, but they faced prejudice because they are Jewish and emigrated to the United States when Anton was a baby.

Yelchin said that he had read for the producers on tape, then read for Abrams and expects to report for filming in October. "I know very little about the project," he admitted, adding, "It's cool. I'm really looking forward to working on it. J.J. is such a great person to meet and spend some time with."

Star Trek is scheduled to be released in 2008 on December 25th.

The original interview is here.

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