Paul Wesley revealed the shocking reaction he received from William Shatner when he told him about the iconic role he will play in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Wesley played the younger version of James T. Kirk in the series, the role which was originally played by Shatner as the bold, brave captain of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series, which ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1969.
In conversation with Entertainment Tonight, Wesley looked back on the unexpected interaction he had with Shatner when he was first cast as Kirk for Star Trek: SNW Season 1, which premiered in 2022.
Wesley revealed that after filming first episode of the season he went on a plane which also had Shatner boarded. He said that he initially thought he was being pranked.
"At first I was like, I don’t know. This is so bizarrely [sic], like, am I hallucinating or is this a hidden camera show? Did Paramount do this? But I quickly realised it wasn’t. It was just a coincidence," said the Vampire Diaries star during the interview.
The Roll Bounce actor then said that he started having conversation with Boston Legal star revealing that he was casted as a younger version of Kirk for Star Trek: SNW.
"He was like reading a book, and I was like, 'I hate to interrupt you, but I got cast in a role that I think you know well. You might be familiar with.' And he was just like, ‘Well, what’s the role?’ And I was like, ‘You know, Kirk.'"
However, Wesley thought that Shatner did not believed him as he gave the actor a vague reply saying, "'Well, good luck.'"
Wesley than clarified that Shatner gave him words of support on social media when it was officially announced that he was cast as Kirk.
"Then it’s announced that I got the role and then he tweets me, 'Take care of my crew and my ship.' And ‘Congratulations Captain,'" said Wesley.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 is slated for release in summer 2026.