Leonard Nimoy talks about Oscars, art, ComiCon and all things pointy-eared

One of the most beloved aliens in the pop-culture universe will touch down in Seattle this weekend.

As "Star Trek's" Spock, Leonard Nimoy has been changing perceptions for decades, making it cool to be different. The 79-year-old guest stars Saturday and Sunday at Emerald City ComiCon, a comic-book and pop-culture convention that attracts thousands of fans every year.

Recently, Nimoy talked to The Seattle Times, taking silly Spock questions in stride.

Q: What keeps you coming back to these comic conventions?

A: There are stories to tell, questions to be answered.

Q: What else are you working on? I know you're a poet and a photographer, as well as an actor.

A: I have an exhibition opening this summer at ... the Massachusetts Museum of Arts ... of some portraits of people ... as their secret selves.

Q: Their secret selves?

A: The idea of a secret self goes back thousands of years. Greek philosopher and playwright Aristophanes had the idea that humans at one time had two heads and four arms and four legs, and became very powerful and arrogant. The gods were upset about it so they sent Zeus to solve the problem, which he did by taking a big sword and splitting everybody in two, leaving everybody the way we are, but leaving us feeling somehow incomplete. Everybody is looking for the lost part of themselves to make themselves feel whole again. So I began to explore this idea of a secret — but I have some issues with identity, don't I?

Q: You put a lot of yourself into Spock, didn't you?

A: It's as though I have an alternate ego.

Q: Would Spock be your secret self?

A: Not very secret anymore!

Q: What is your personal balance between logic and emotion?

A: (laughs for a while) That's just funny. (more raucous laughing) I've worked on that balance all the time. (more laughing)

Q: Were your pointy-ear prosthetics comfortable?

A: They were attached to my own ears with glue and they could become irritating after wearing them day after day for a period of time ... but you endure that, it's just something you put up with. I never really complained ... that my ears were hurting.

Q: I read you kept the prosthetic ears?

A: I have the last pair that we used the final day of shooting the television series.

Q: What is the strangest question from a fan?

A: Would you teach me how to use this neck pinch on this person who is bothering me, so I can knock him unconscious? Spock has this ability to knock people unconscious.

Q: What was your reaction?

A: I'm afraid you might hurt somebody.

Q: Are you OK with spoofing yourself?

A: Of course.

Q: How do you feel about being typecast as the super-rational Spock?

A: I've always thought of myself as a character actor. I never saw myself as a leading man, or romantic lead kind of guy. ... On the other hand, there are certain types of roles people would expect I would be able to manage, and I take that as a good thing. It has kept me working as an actor constantly. Ever since "Star Trek" went on the air, I haven't had any problems finding work, so for me, typecasting was a good thing. I found a niche for myself as an actor.

Q: How do you feel about passing the torch of Spock to Zachary Quinto, who plays a young version of the character in the 2009 remake of "Star Trek"?

A: I enjoyed it thoroughly. It thought that it had a wonderful script, a great cast, wonderful people. Zachary Quinto, I think was a wonderful actor. ... I was very flattered with how the character was written, with great dignity and strength and purpose and intelligence. I'm very pleased that the character is in good hands.

Q: Do you think "Star Trek" was robbed at Oscars?

A: It's sad that "Star Trek" has been so unrecognized over so many years. I was delighted that at least it won a makeup award. ... I think that I'm correct in saying that that's the first Academy Award that "Star Trek" has ever won. ... There've been some wonderful achievements in technology, in special effects, photography and story, ... but "Avatar" was an enormous accomplishment as a motion picture and still it did not win best director or best film.

Q: What do you want your legacy to be?

A: I think others will have to decide what my legacy is. ... I do what I find interesting and do it the best I know how, and live my life fully and thoroughly as possible. ... One thing I cannot do is predict the future.

Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com