J.J. Abrams and his impressive body of work have garnered plenty of detailed coverage, including our own—most recently, some insights we got from his on-stage conversation with Chris Rock at the Tribeca Film Festival. Fortunately, Collider’s Steve ‘Frosty’ Weintraub was able to sit down with the Star Trek Beyond producer for five minutes to cover some of the more, er, irreverent angles of Abrams’ career. Here’s what we learned.
Simon Pegg as Scotty in 'Star Trek Beyond'
1. He will accept your high-fives on the street
Abrams acknowledges the inevitable hate the comes from taking on two of modern cinema’s most beloved franchises, Star Wars and Star Trek. Thus, he’s especially appreciative of the fans. "There are plenty of people who aren’t happy about plenty of things," he said. "I’ll take happiness when I can get it."
2. He had to convince Simon Pegg not to quit Star Trek Beyond
There were approximately “2.6 times” that Abrams had to reassure Simon Pegg about his role in Star Trek Beyond, which he both co-wrote with Doug Jung and appears in, playing a young Scotty. But it wasn’t Abrams' first time at the Pegg rodeo, so he understands that “this is part of his process; he has these crises.” Abrams mentioned that he also had to talk Pegg off a proverbial ledge during the production of Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, which Abrams produced.
3. He collects synthesizers
Abrams collects keyboards. Yes: electronic pianos. I wish Weintraub had asked if he actually plays them, but from now on I’m definitely going to imagine him banging his head against one like Don Music from Sesame Street every time he runs into a production snag (See example A in the classic clip above).
4. Playstation is his favorite video game system
Among all the video game systems in history, the first Playstation was Abrams’ favorite, because “I loved Wipeout,” he said, but “Atari was amazing at the time.” He also admits to having played Pokemon Go, which is currently installed on his phone.
The mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'
5. He knows the true identity of Snoke...maybe
One of the big mysteries in Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the true identity of Supreme Leader Snoke. The question has inspired countless fan theories online, including that he is Darth Vader’s father. Unfortunately, we will still have to wait for the big reveal. All that Abrams was willing to share was the following: “I’ll telI you that I know what is happening with that character going forward.”
Abrams is equally elusive about his next career move, claiming that he doesn’t know what he’s working on next. Not holding my breath for this, but I’d love to see him follow up these mega-blockbusters with some more indie-style fare, like Joss Whedon did with Much Ado About Nothing after the first Avengers.
What off-the-wall question would you ask Abrams if you had five minutes with him?
Source: Collider
