William Shatner― actor, raconteur, TV host ― has taken the path of Betty White into his 90s: staying so busy, it’s hard to believe he’s in his tenth decade.
“My philosophy is to just ignore it,” Shatner said in a brief interview Monday with The Atlanta-Journal-Constitution. “You mention my age and I say, ‘Who are you talking about?’”
He has even started to do the vaunted sci-fi convention circuit again. He was at the Washington, D.C., Awesome Con last weekend and will return to Atlanta’s Dragon Con on Friday and Saturday of Labor Day weekend.
“I’ll be masked,” he said, then he mused: “If I put on a pair of sunglasses, I could be anybody. I could bring in a sub and nobody would know the difference!”
But that distinctive Shatner cadence might be a giveaway ― except people sure like imitating him, dramatic pauses and all. And people have done it in front of him. “I always nudge the person next to me with my elbow,” he said, “and say, ‘What are they doing? Who is that? I (pause) don’t (pause) get (pause) what’s (pause) going on!’”
Shatner likes to talk and he quickly listed his latest pursuits. After the Awesome Con, he drove 500 miles to Louisville for the World Championship Horse Show on Aug. 23 to compete in the “amateur roadster to bike” competition. He rode a two-wheeled buggy behind a horse named Track Star and won his race.
“It was fast and dangerous,” Shatner said, with discernible Shatner-like pride.
Credit: WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP HORSE SHOW
Credit: WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP HORSE SHOW
And Shatner has released several spoken-word albums over the decades, his latest an autobiographical one coming out next month called “Bill” he recorded during the pandemic with guest stars such as pop singer Joe Jonas, jazz artist Dave Koz, rock guitarist Joe Walsh and his long-time country music buddy Brad Paisley.
“We were all required to slow down because of the COVID pandemic,” he said. “It gave us a chance to reflect. That’s what I did. I made this album about my life.”
He also recently started a talk show on RT (a Russian-funded TV operation) and hosted a third season of “The UnXplained” on the History Channel about the occult. So his definition of “slowing down” isn’t necessarily the same as other people.
And a few months ago, he traveled to the Bahamas to swim with sharks for Discovery’s Shark Week. “My entire experience has been to watch out for sharks but it turns out they don’t actually like to eat us,” he said. “They’re critically necessary for the ocean!”
Capt. Kirk’s original Enterprise crew has been steadily entering the great beyond over the years, but oddly, Shatner’s long estrangement from 84-year-old George Takei (Sulu) has endured.
Last year on a podcast, Takei accused of Shatner of being jealous of the late Leonard Nimoy during their “Star Trek” heyday, which Shatner later denied on Twitter, saying Takei “needs a new hobby” besides slagging him.
“I love him,” Shatner said, of Takei. “He’s a marvelous human being. I just don’t know who he is. We had this job more than 50 years ago together. We said hello and goodbye and that was it. I don’t know what he’s talking about. You’d think something would change, but he doesn’t. I’m resigned to it.”
IF YOU GO
Dragon Con
Thursday, Sept. 2, through Monday, Sept. 6. $140 for a five-day pass; daily passes $20-$60. (No daily passes for Saturday). AmericasMart Buildings One and Two, plus the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta. www.dragoncon.org.
Shatner is scheduled to be there Friday and Saturday.
