Shatner: Aftermath, $#*! And Twitter
2 min readAt seventy-nine, most successful actors might want to kick back and enjoy retirement in some pleasant locale, but that’s not the case for William Shatner, who is busier than ever with his established and new television shows.
Shatner spoke recently about his most recent show, Aftermath with William Shatner; a new show to debut this fall, $#*! My Dad Says; and his experience with Twitter.
In Aftermath, Shatner interviews people who became famous in the news, some of whom did things which landed them in prison. Why do such people want to talk to Shatner for his show? “They’re anxious to tell their story,” said Shatner. “They’ve had their fifteen minutes [of fame] and here’s an opportunity to present that story once again from their side. It may also be they know me in some manner and want to talk to me.”
His subjects soon find out that they’re talking to a regular human being, not just an actor. “…they get past [Shatner being an actor] and see that it’s not an actor, but a human being who is vitally interested in them.” Shatner has an “innate interest in them and what they’re thinking and feeling as a result of the experience they went through.”
Shatner’s new show $#*! My Dad Says, which debuts this fall, has already stirred up controversy due to the word “shit.” “We call it ‘shit,” said Shatner. “I urge you to look at the word ‘shit.’ It’s the vernacular, not the act of defecation. All you’re arguing is should the word ‘shit’ be allowed in the English language in nice company. If you’re talking to a jazz musician and he says, ‘I’ve got to get my shit together,’ are you appalled, or do you say, ‘Yeah, I understand?'”
The modern age of communication has not passed Shatner by, although he needs a little help from those a little more technologically-savvy to participate. Shatner has his own Twitter account. “I’m quite active in it,” he said of the account. “I don’t know how to technically do it, but I have some young people who do it for me. I try to be a little informative, but mostly I try to instigate.”
How does Shatner keep up with so many projects? “I’ve discovered the answer,” he said, “which is to get up a couple of hours earlier. You can get anything done if you’re up early. That and Omega-3s.”
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