Simon Pegg was ‘annoyed’ how he found out about his casting in Star Trek

Simon Pegg was annoyed how he found out about his casting as Scotty in Star Trek 2009.

When fans found out the original set of Star Trek characters from the 60s were getting a new, younger crew for a 2009 film, not everyone was on board with the idea. It’s hard to capture that magic some 40-odd years later. Especially with a whole new set of actors to boot. Yet, they did a pretty good job all things considered, and one of the names that really brought in even the most skeptical of fans was Simon Pegg.

Pegg was a Star Trek fan long before getting cast in the film, so when he landed the role of Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, played lovingly by James Doohan for 30 years, fans were oddly excited. Sure, it was impossible to replace James Kirk and Spock, at least heading into the film, but if anyone could replace Scotty it was the beloved comedic actor Pegg.

Yet, Pegg wasn’t very happy with how he got the role.

Pegg told Vanity Fair in 2020, (Via Screenrant), that he was annoyed that he got told about the selection for the film by email.

"And I was almost annoyed by that. The tenacity of it irked me. Because you can’t just throw the ball into my court like that and expect me to smash it back. I need some time to think about it. But of course, three or four days later, I was like ‘Yes, of course!’ But it just felt like such a, like he was just handing me this massive opportunity, and I wanted dinner and a movie."

It all worked out well for Simon Pegg and Star Trek regardless

The crew ended up doing three films, 2009’s Star Trek, Into Darkness, and Beyond. Each film has its fans. And critics. Yet, each film did enough to bring fans in and keep the franchise going after Star Trek: Enterprise ended up until 2017 when Star Trek: Discovery launched on CBS All-Access.

The series was thought to be ending after Beyond disappointed at the box office and the tragic passing of star Anton Yelchin, who played Pavel Chekov in the reboot. Except, that wasn’t the case and now the crew is back together and are working on Star Trek 4, the fourth film in the Star Trek Kelvin Timeline of films.

This version of the film franchise has had its fair share of issues, but when it all boils down to it, Pegg must be happy with how things have turned out, as he’s still part of the brand 13 years later.