By GustavoLeao / 08:17, 18 June 2009 / Star Trek: Nemesis

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RAMA's Screen posted a new interview with Star Trek actor Clifton Collins Jr, who played Romulan villain Ayel in J. J. Abrams Star Trek movie. Here are few excerpts.

RS: Let's talk about STAR TREK, man. How did you get the part?

CC: J.J. Abrams called me at home about STAR TREK,..he wrote a role for me based off of a Frankie Flores from my character in the movie Traffic, for Alias. He went to the casting director and said ‘I got this great role that I wrote and do you think Clifton Collins could do this?.. Do you think he'd even do it?, does he still do TV? And she said ‘yeah he'll do it' Abrams asked ‘are you sure?' and she said ‘yeah I'm positive' and Abrams asked again ‘why are you so positive?' and she was like ‘because he's my brother'. Abrams didn't know she was related to me (laugh) So I did 3 episodes

With STAR TREK, I heard my name my name being thrown around,

I heard my name and I heard Eric Bana's name. No real offer being made. So J.J. Abrams called me, pitched me the character, he pitched me Ayel in essence and he said ‘what do you think?' and I told him to call me again the next day. Just kidding (laugh)

I said ‘hell yeah!' I'd walk off a cliff for J.J. Abrams. he's a badasss. He has such a love for storytelling he's a loving person. There was not a single attitude on that set. There was no diva. We were working 18 hour days. This is a testament for J.J. and the entire team, the kind of set where the producer would walk on a set early morning, 4 in the morning, they were wrapping or something and he'd give this full speech of how hard we'd worked this week and how hard it's been but the difference between this producer and the producers I've worked in the past is that we really believed this guy, the kind of speeches that would make you cry like a little b*tch, trying to hold it back ya know (laugh)... it feels good to be appreciated at the end of the day.

RS: Were you a trekkie?

CC: Nobody on that whole set was a Trekkie

RS: Now true STAR TREK fans would know that this is not exactly an origin story, not the Shatner's Kirk origin story, it's J.J. Abrams version of origins story, the alternate parallel universe so did you get any negative comments from fans saying ‘hey you guys are doing it wrong, man!'

CC: No they didn't know about it, they had no clue. That thing was so tightly under wraps.

RS: It was well done that's why

CC: J.J. is just such a good storyteller, he just knows how to tell stories, man. he's a kid at heart, every great filmmaker is. He's approachable. He's just fun to work with

The full interview is here.