Star Trek: Even at 90, William Shatner has a hard time watching himself

William Shatner turned 90 this week, yet did you know he never liked watching himself act? Despite his age, and the time he’s been in acting, that one thing has never been easier for him to do. You’d think that an actor of his prowess and longevity wouldn’t have any type of hangups on how they look, even as a young, dashing leading man. Yet, Shatner has always dealt with never liking how he looked on screen.

Shatner spoke to Jeremy Parsons on People (the TV Show!) and talked about how he doesn’t like how he views himself. The two were talking about Shatner’s time on Star Trek, and Shatner revealed that besides Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, he’s never seen an episode of Star Trek. He Told Parsons (via Yahoo!)

"I have never watched Star Trek. There are many episodes I don’t know, there are some movies I don’t know. …I directed one of the movies — No. 5 — I had to watch that one. But it’s all painful because I don’t like the way I look and what I do."

With so many struggling with their self-image, to hear Shatner be so open and revealing hopefully will help some understand that just about everyone struggles with something at some point. Shatner is well regarded as a man who’s “aged well” and despite looking like a man nearly 30 years younger, to hear him talk about how he’s still wrestling with those issues should is very refreshing. It puts Shatner in a very human light.

Now, this isn’t new. Shatner has been vocal about his inability to watch his performances for years. He’s never shied from it. He’s not the only one who has ever had issues with watching themselves. The Batman’s Robert Pattinson, The Amazing Spider-Man’s Andrew Garfield, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’s Megan Fox are all in the same boat of actors who hate watching themselves.