I came into contact with Win as a
result of my Star Trek website. What I like most about the work I’ve done on this site
is the fact that it’s put me in contact with some very wonderful people, and hopefully
will continue to do so. People like Win DeLugo, Leonard Nimoy, Majel Barrett Roddenberry,
Grace Lee Whitney, Meridel & Yvonne Craig, Michael Ansara, Russell Bates, and Jean Lissette
Aroeste (most of the people I've been in contact with - probably left somone out - I'm
sorry). James Doohan said it something like this, “I like the places I’ve been able to go to
and the people I’ve been able to see because of Star Trek.” So I just want to say, “Thank
you, Win, for your kindness to me and for appreciating my work and doing this interview.”
--- Curtis Fox – June 6, 2004 |
| ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- |
CF -- What were the circumstances surrounding
your being on Star Trek? |
Win -- I really can't remember how I got the
part. My memories begin with being shown my trailer/dressing room on the set. As a newcomer
from New York, Off-Broadway and Summer Stock, I couldn't believe it! They had even put my
name in a card slot by the door. I had never been treated so well in any theatre. And then
"Bones" stuck his head in the door, introduced himself
and asked if there was anything I
needed. I thought, this isn't real life... there's some mistake here, when they realize that
I'm just a nobody they'll call security and drag me off the set. |
CF -- Did you choose the name Timothy? Any
significance? |
Win -- I didn't choose the name and had no say
in the matter, no one seemed to know why it was Timothy, except that one of the writers
picked it and he/she wasn't around that day. |
CF -- Did the scene go smoothly? |
Win -- There were several takes. Originally,
when they set up the scene, I was standing at the bar. When Shatner came in to run lines for
camera and lighting, he suddenly called "cut" and took the director aside (the director seemed
intimidated). Being a New York actor and green to TV, I didn't realize that the lead actor on
a series far outranked the director. So, unbeknownst to me, Shatner gave him his orders. More
bar stools were found and in the next set up I was sitting down, so Shatner (who is, after all,
the star) could look down on me (I'm 6ft 3"). We did about 3 takes and Shatner called "cut" in
the middle of each, because his eyes kept tearing up, when he tried to hold my gaze. Remember,
we were equals, both Captains, from the same graduating class, and I was accusing him of killing
(by incompetence) one of his own crew. So, it was a very tense scene and we really had to be
just a hair's breadth away from throwing punches. The camera was set up for the "two shot", then
we did the "over my shoulder", showing Shatner's face, but after they rearranged the camera for
"over Shatner's shoulder", to show my face, he disappeared to do a telephone interview. I have
since learned, that this is not unusual, it happens all the time, but that day I was a little
pissed, because in NY actors gave one another a certain respect. If I was there to give him human
eyes and emotion to react to, then I thought he should, at least, do the same for me. I was his
guest on his show. I was just starting my career, and it was important for me to look as real as
possible, especially in close ups, because getting my next job depended on it. That was my
newcomer's point of view. |
Win -- Once they were set up, I asked, "Where's
Shatner?" The director said, "Don't worry about him, I'll work with you". I was thrilled, because
I (mistakenly) thought the director really knows the scene, even more than Shatner and this will
make me look good. Then he leaned to his right, put his arm under the camera that was trained on
my face, brought his hand up on the other side of the camera, wiggled his fingers and said, "OK,
talk to my hand...ACTION!" I was stunned! I had to call on every bit of imagination I could muster,
to avoid "seeing" his fingers and instead see Shatner's eyes in the void. |
Win -- So, if you ever see the show again, keep in
mind Shatner's talking to me but in all my close ups, I'm talking to fingers (that's acting). About
a year later in The Raincheck (an Actor's bar) Shatner sent a drink over to me, invited me to join
a group of friends at his table and we laughed it off. It was a classy thing for him to do and I
appreciated it. |
CF -- Were there scenes you did that were cut? |
Win -- No. But I always thought that the part was
written as if Timothy was going to re-appear. It was odd. (too tall?) |
CF -- Have you had occasion to work with some of the
other guest stars? |
Win -- Joan Marshall
, the Court-martial guest star, was in The Holmes Repertory Theatre, where I starred in Period
of Adjustment with Ahna Capri (the Dragon Lady in
Enter the Dragon) and The Zoo Story. |
CF -- Were you asked to be on Star Trek after this
episode? |
Win -- Yes. About 6-8 months later they called me in.
I was told they liked my previous work and needed someone strong to play Spock's brother. This
really pleased Nimoy and I, because he had just seen me as Jerry in Zoo Story (the play) and he
looked forward to our working together. Joe D'Agosta was the
casting director and just before he "set" me for the part, Gene Roddenberry came in and said,
"Something's bothering me, I love Win's work and he's certainly strong enough for the part; Win,
could you come back when Leonard is here?" So I did, and Leonard rushed over, the moment he saw me,
gave me a big greeting and threw his arm around me (to give Roddenberry the impression that we would
be a great brotherly team) but it backfired. Roddenberry said, "There! I knew something was wrong,
Look! Win towers over Leonard. It won't work. They are Vulcan brothers with the very same neck-zapping
powers, locked in a battle to the death. No one is going to believe Leonard can beat Win........sorry Win".
I didn't think fast enough to say it would make Spock look more heroic to beat a bigger guy (David vs.
Goliath). I don't know if they ever made it, do you? A show where Spock goes to his home planet and
fights to the death with his brother? {
CF Note: This sounds like what Amok Time could have been. But the
way it turned out Spock was to fight the Vulcan, named "Ston" who "T'Pring" wanted and vise verse.
However, since McCoy said he didn't think Spock (due to his weakend condition) could take him, Kirk,
who was named by T'Pring as her champion, volunteered to fight Spock (unbeknownst beforehand that the
fight was to be to the death). This is the only episode where Spock blatantly showed emotion without being
under the influence of some outside force.} I was depressed, I
stopped watching. But the straw that broke the camel's back came later:
Joe D'Agosta also cast Mission: Impossible, and I won the lead guest role
in an episode about a Latin king-pin gangster. A very flashy role that would have really set my career
on the fast track. One man, fighting the Mission: Impossible team! I drove out of Desilu Studios on
cloud nine and went straight home to call my friends. My phone was ringing as I ran up the steps. It was
D'Agosta telling me how sorry he was that I could not have the role because Ricardo Montalban had formed
a group for "improving the depiction of Hispanic performers in the media" (Nosotros) and they were going
to picket Desilu Studios if I played the role. Even though I am 1/3 Spanish, that didn't matter, I wasn't
Mexican or Latin American. That's when I left LA to make my own movie. The rest is history,
detailed in the BIO section of my website. |
CF -- Did you meet Roddenberry? What was he like? |
Win -- He was a very nice guy, warm and down to earth. The
first time I met him he called me in from Joe D'Agosta's adjoining office to test his new idea. He showed
me a scale model of The Enterprise, told me about this series he was going to make, called Star Trek and
asked what I thought. I completely misunderstood the concept and thought he was going to make a knock off
of The Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, monster series...in space. Who needs another one? Boy was I wrong!
....Fortunately I didn't tell Roddenberry what I was thinking. |
CF -- Did being on Star Trek help your career? How? |
Win -- I've gotten about 5-6 parts because directors who were
Trekkies recognized me from Court-martial. When I was Virgin Islands' Film Commissioner, I was scouting with
a director who kept saying, "I know you". I said, "No way. I don't know you". One day he slapped my back and
yelled, "Star Trek. The Court-martial!" Immediately he cast me opposite Stacy Keach in his short-lived
Caribe series, also starring Carl Franklin, who is a famous
director (Devil in a Blue Dress) today. I played the Lieutenant Governor who jumps on a Coast Guard Cutter and
fires Keach off the case. |
CF -- Is there anything you'd like to say to the fans? |
Win -- Yes. I pray that they will give their support to
"Touching Down", the Independent feature that I co-star in [poster]. It starts
making the rounds of the Film Festivals this April (2005) at The Method Fest
Film Festival in L.A. (Calabasas, to be exact), and we neeeeeed all the support we can get! I will always post
the dates and the Festivals it's appearing at, on my website: windelugo.com
|
CF -- Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. I know
Star Trek fans worldwide appreciate it. |
