Shatner And Nimoy Weren't Always Best Buddies

Up Till Now: The Autobiography, William Shatner's newest book, explains that Shatner and his co-star Leonard Nimoy didn't always share the friendship that they do today.

As reported by the Daily Mail, Shatner was jealous of Nimoy's growing popularity. "I've often heard it said that acting is not a competitive sport, but never by actors," said Shatner. "The truth is, every good actor has an ego. I was supposed to be the star but Leonard was getting more attention than I was. It bothered me."

Nimoy wasn't always thrilled with Shatner's antics either. He was annoyed when Shatner, to protect his "little makeup secrets", ordered a photographer out of the make-up room. According to Nimoy, "It [The photographer's presence] was approved by Roddenberry. It was approved by the head of the studio. It was approved by publicity."

And Shatner's sense of humor got him in trouble with Nimoy too. After Shatner's father passed away, when Shatner returned to the set to film a scene, the set was somber. "I wanted to relieve the tension and let people know I was OK," said Shatner. In a mind-meld scene between Nimoy and the Horta (Star Trek: The Devil in the Dark), Shatner encouraged Nimoy to redo the scene. When Nimoy did so, screaming "pain, pain, pain," Shatner joked, "Can somebody get this guy an aspirin?" thinking that everyone would laugh. Nimoy however, was furious, thinking that Shatner had used him for the amusement of others.

The two became best friends over time, with Nimoy, a recovering alcoholic, trying to help Shatner's wife Nerine, even taking her to Alcoholic's Anonymous meetings. Nerine died in 1999 in a drowning accident.

To read more, head to the article located here.

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