Star Trek Into Darkness’ Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto & Zoe Saldana

Written by Kelli Gillespie

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto step onto the starship once again as the popular pairing of Captain Kirk and Spock aboard the USS Enterprise. Avatar’s Zoe Saldana reprises the role of Uhura and Risen voyaged to the United Kingdom to talk with the cast about humility, sacrifices, decision-making and relationships.

Interviewed for Risen Magazine at Corinthia Hotel in London, England

Risen Magazine: Captain Kirk thinks he’s above the rules and has this arrogant air to him. In your personal life, who taught you humility or how have you been able to handle the spotlight with grace?
Chris Pine: It all comes down to how you were raised and I have a great, strong family. I grew up in Hollywood too and I think that certainly helped me in terms of what to expect. I think the moment you start thinking you deserve any of this, or this comes easy, or that this will be around for a long time… this is a fickle business… I certainly want to enjoy it while I’m here on this ride, but I do know that my time can pass. But I am enjoying it.

Avatar’s Zoe Saldana as Uhura in Star Trek: Into Darkness

Risen Magazine: Spock is extremely logical while Captain Kirk is more emotional. When it comes to making decisions how do you come to a conclusion?
Zachary Quinto: Sometimes I can be really impulsive, but if it’s a big decision I like to give myself space for the answer to reveal itself. I think it’s an amalgam. I don’t think anybody exists so exclusively on one end of the spectrum or the other.

Risen Magazine: The friendship between the two grows even deeper as the movie progresses. When have you had to make a sacrifice for someone, or in turn someone made a sacrifice on your behalf?
Zachary Quinto: I think sacrifice is at the heart of any significant relationship really. It’s about give-and-take and it’s about being there for your friends even if it’s not convenient or comfortable. I’ve had many experiences where my closest friends have gone out on a limb, or put themselves in a situation where they knew what I needed and the situation might have required something from them that they might not otherwise have had to give. And the same in the reverse. I have definitely been in situations where I’ve gotten on a plane and gone somewhere because somebody needed something or to be by someone’s side, literally and figuratively, because they needed me. I think that should be a part of any relationship that is significant because it’s the only way we can really move forward, with support for one another.

Risen Magazine: Who believed in you so much that it became a catalyst for where you are today?
Zachary Quinto: Aside from my family – my mom and my brother who have always been so supportive of my pursuits and my journey – I had one teacher, my acting teacher in high school. She taught me the most important lesson that I think I carry with me, which is that it’s as, if not more important, to be a good person than it is to be an actor, or good “whatever.” Success doesn’t matter if you can’t appreciate it, recognize the value of it, or share it with people that you love. She’s been incredibly influential in my life and we’re still very close and I’m most grateful for her.

Risen Magazine: When it comes to relationships, what is the best piece of advice you’ve heard?
Zoe Saldana: I guess that I need to please myself first before I can please somebody else. [From] their decisions, and points of view, to opinions; you have to be able to be an individual still. You need to keep and maintain some of that individuality because if you forget yourself, it becomes a different dynamic.

Interview originally published in Risen Magazine, Summer 2013