Canadian commands captain’s chair in 'Star Trek' reboot

With ships whirring by at warp speed, the impending threat of Romulan attacks and a feisty group of new cadets, any Starfleet Captain would likely be pretty stressed out. But Canuck Bruce Greenwood, who plays Enterprise helmsman Captain Pike in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, can’t help but smile when talking about his experience as part of the much-anticipated prequel.

“The set was just a riot. It’s this controlled chaos,” Greenwood told Cineplex.com while in Toronto promoting the film. “The energy of the film is so vibrant, but at the same time, in spite of all those crazy visual elements, at its core, there’s this very high-energy human interaction and [Abrams] managed to keep both of those things alive to us while we were shooting. He’s so energetic, he’s so inclusive.”

Of course, this isn’t to say that filming a franchise reboot is easy. Working with an iconic brand that has already spawned six TV series and 10 feature films, and a notoriously hardcore fan base, expectations could be suffocating, if not altogether paralyzing. But Greenwood was cautious to not get caught up in the hype.

“You can get a bit carried away if you think about that pressure, so you just try and do the homework and try and release yourself into what it is you can do,” he offered matter-of-factly. “If you think about the pressure, you’ll hamstring yourself.”

Though familiar with the ‘60s TV show, Greenwood wasn’t exactly a Star Trek enthusiast, and had his work cut out for him. After revisiting the series, and studying the work of previous Captain Pike portrayer Jeffrey Hunter, Greenwood said it was essential to give himself over to Abrams’ new vision, which is more than mindful of the legions of fans.

“The movie is full of these Easter eggs and nods and homages and tips of the hats to all kinds of aspects of the original series. It’s rife with that stuff and I think it’s done with so much respect that people will let it in. And I think it’s [a testament to] J.J.’s singular ability to put groups of people together who really breathe on screen.”

Audiences first get a glimpse of Greenwood’s Captain Pike as he’s breaking up a bare-knuckle fight between an arrogant and rebellious James T. Kirk and at least three other Starfleet cadets. Pike sees potential in the bruised and bloodied blowhard and acts as the catalyst to Kirk’s long and strange cosmic journey.

“He knew [Kirk’s] father so he keeps his eye out for the son. And he looks at the son’s marks and realizes the kid has this tremendous potential on paper and looks at him in person and realizes he has this most essential element that has been sorely lacking in Starfleet as of late, and that’s someone who doesn’t believe there’s a no-win scenario. It’s this instinctive understanding that this guy has what it takes – and then some.”

Captain Pike plays a pivotal, and somewhat paternal, role in the origin story of how rowdy Kirk and stoic half-Vulcan Spock meet and eventually become unlikely brothers in arms, but Greenwood quickly dismissed the notion of any such hierarchies on set.

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Describing the cast as “uniformly funny,” he revealed that it wasn’t uncommon for them to break into jam sessions, complete with guitars and group sing-alongs, but was clear to point out that the young actors were passionate about their craft.

“They’re all very serious about what they do, in spite of being able to have fun all day long. Chris [Pine, Captain Kirk] has grown up in an acting family and Zach [Quinto, Spock] is certainly the most articulate actor, possibly one of the most articulate people, I’ve ever met. Anton [Yelchin, Chekov] is a great chess player and is hilarious and John Cho [Sulu] is funny as hell.”

Having previously played a U.S. President in National Treasure: Book of Secrets and JFK in Thirteen Days and now holding court on the bridge of the famed Starship Enterprise, it seems there’s something innately authoritative about Greenwood, a trait he doesn’t quite understand himself.

“I’ve no idea where that misguided perception of authority comes from. I have no idea! And it is misguided.”

Despite his protests to the contrary, that level of respect bled onto the set in an unexpected way.

“When we were all milling around the set, when we first got there, that first day, nobody sat in the captain’s chair. People are perched everywhere; they’re draped all over everything. But not in the chair. And it wasn’t like there’d been a memo saying, ‘Treat the chair with the respect it deserves.’”

Star Trek will naturally be held up against the nearly dozen other feature-length films that have previously borne the name but Greenwood thinks Abrams’ version sets itself apart from the pack because it seamlessly blends drama and technology.

“It’s a different time in the speed of storytelling and these guys have managed to create an emotional component in this movie that’s really, really compelling, while surrounding it in this environment that could only have been created in 2009, that feels so real and so authentic. It’s this combination of a really visceral element and an astounding attention to three-dimensional detail in this other world.”

Star Trek is now playing in Cineplex Theatres and select Cineplex IMAX Theatres.

Check out video extras here and our Star Trek photo gallery here.