New nonagenarian William Shatner stars in new film 'Senior Moment'
'Star Trek' legend plays retired NASA test pilot whose license is revoked for drag racing; FOX's Ashley Dvorkin reports
William Shatner celebrated a big birthday in March -- turning 90 years old.
The Emmy award-winning actor told Fox News he's embarrassed about becoming a nonagenarian.
"I mean, my God, who's the who wants to be 90?" Shatner joked while promoting his new film "Senior Moment." "I don't want to be 90, but I'm 90. It's a bit embarrassing."
The actor isn't slowing down -- in July 2021 he'll be celebrating with "Star Trek" fans at the "Star Trek Set Tour" exhibit in Ticonderoga, New York.
WILLIAM SHATNER SHARES TOUCHING LEONARD NIMOY MEMORY, EXPLAINS WHY HE'S TAKING ON 'THE UNXPLAINED'
The actor who played the beloved Captain Kirk will be attending in person although COVID-19 protocol will be observed.
"Why not [go] if I'm asked to do it?" Shatner told Fox News about the event. "It's fun in its way, answering these questions and trying to come up with different answers and enjoying the exchange [with fans]."
(L-R) DeForest Kelley, Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner on the set of 'Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan,' directed by Nicholas Meyer. (Paramount Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
In his new film, Shatner plays a retired NASA test pilot who gets his license revoked for drag racing. Now the character has to navigate life in a new way.
"They take his license away and by [taking it] away, they've taken his youth," he explained. "They've taken his life, his ability to live and that's a tragedy."
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
"[The character] strives to overcome it and eventually he finds love and he finds another way of living, and that's true of all of us, isn't it? Something happens that changes our life. Instead of giving up, we've got to continue and find what life has in store for us," he reasoned.
Shatner also spoke about a funny memory he has from filming his '80s cop drama "T.J. Hooker," which will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of its series premiere in 2022.
(L-R) William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy in a 'T.J. Hooker' episode from 1983. (Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images))
"One of the actors had a phobia about birds, hated birds, and we were always on a rooftop trying to find the bad guys... jumping from roof to roof and there were always pigeons around on the roof," he laughed. "And this guy would ask, 'Is that a bird?!'"
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
And after all these decades on TV and in movies, what keeps Shater interested in acting into his 90s is the discovery process.
He mused, "Everything is a discovery... what's interesting is to discover not only [things] about yourself, but about the world around you, there's always continuous discovery."
FOX's Ashley Dvorkin contributed to this report.
Trending
Who's making headlines in television, music, movies and more from Hollywood to the Heartland.