Science-fiction fans can get touchy when you mess with their icons — and few characters are as iconic as Star Trek's Spock. The half-human, half-Vulcan character was played by Leonard Nimoy in both the short-lived original series and the series of movies that eventually followed, and when director J.J. Abrams rebooted the franchise in 2009, fans worried about how he would handle Spock.
With the second Star Trek film out now, those worries are long gone. That's thanks largely to actor Zachary Quinto, who plays the famously rational bridge officer — with the blessing of his predecessor, who's since become a fast friend.
Quinto joins NPR's Audie Cornish to talk about his relationship with Nimoy, his Spock-ified eyebrows and why he went public about his personal life not long ago.
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