Mount And Peck: Taking On Iconic Roles
3 min read
When Anson Mount and Ethan Peck took on the roles of Pike and Spock, at first it was a bit scary, but they soon won the hearts of Star Trek fans and were rewarded with a return in several Star Trek: Short Treks.
“It was a little daunting at first because I knew what was being asked of me,” said Mount, a Trek fan. “But, you know, I don’t know a character in the canon that is more revered, yet we know very little about him — I did not envy Ethan’s situation, which was more difficult, I’d say.”
“I don’t know if it was more difficult,” said Peck. “I just had more cornerstones to uphold. I mean – Anson’s right – there was The Cage and The Menagerie we had to include in his constriction as opposed to his preparation. But, yeah, it’s been an amazing journey — and a terrifying one. Such joy from me. I can’t believe that they accepted us. And me, especially. So, it’s just been very peak life, for me.
“I was full of fright because Spock hadn’t been taken to this place emotionally and psychologically. You know, what the wonderful writers do on Discovery, they write these emotionally interesting characters and what was on the page for my Mr. Spock was something that had never been written about him before. Layers to which he had never been exposed. And an atmosphere I found really thrilling, a part of his life that we haven’t really seen before. So yes, figuring out every moment was a tightrope walk that was never emotionally empty. It was always emotionally full, as a matter of keeping a lid on this pot that was always boiling.”
The duo returned for Star Trek: Short Treks. For Mount, it was “an honor and a joy” to return.
Peck liked the Short Treks as it was “really nice not to be tethered to a greater story. With Short Treks,” he said; “they’re episodic and self-contained and it was really nice to have the characters in their pure state. I was on the Enterprise, first day, and it’s just him and Number One and this little event that occurs. It wasn’t complex. And it was just nice to finish that as Spock, with Number One in the control room.”
So how do Mount and Peck feel about a Pike/Spock/Number One series? “I’ve learned to count my blessings,” said Mount. “And as a Trekkie, it’s one of those things that’s actually not even on your bucket list because it just never occurs to you, even as an actor, that you’re going to be on Star Trek. Literally, almost every day, Ethan and I would look at each other and go, ‘Can you fucking believe what we’re doing right now?’
” So…these decisions are made by people you and I have never met and will never meet. So, whatever the Network Gods determine, it doesn’t matter. I feel blessed to have had this experience.”
“Yeah, if that’s it then I’m so happy, thrilled, grateful to have been a part of it,” said Peck. “If there’s more, I would jump at the opportunity to work with Anson and Rebecca and everyone else. Mostly Anson and Rebecca. And it would be an absolute joy and pleasure.”
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