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Leonard Nimoy was "obsessed" with work that had a social impact
An early role changed his trajectory forever.
It's not easy being Spock. There's the whole issue of typecasting. Leonard Nimoy was an incredible actor, with gifts to make any thespian jealous. That's how he was able to make Spock such a remarkable character. If entrusted to some other actor, Mr. Spock may have been a cardboard caricature of an alien. Instead, Nimoy elevated the role to an intelligent, dignified cultural icon.
It turns out that Leonard Nimoy had an agenda in accepting the role, outside of just entertaining the masses. While he'd had dozens of film and television roles before Star Trek, none of those parts satisfied Nimoy's core ambitions. He made a name for himself as a performer, but there was one itch that wasn't scratched until he boarded the Enterprise.
Following Nimoy's death, The Associated Press ran a profile that included a 2009 quote that revealed his true nature and desires. Earlier in his career, Nimoy was drawn to a role because of its societal implications, and the experience fueled the remainder of his career.
At 17, Nimoy played a young Jewish man in a production of the Clifford Odets play Awake and Sing.
"The role, the young man surrounded by a hostile and repressive environment, so touched a responsive chord that I decided to make a career of acting," said Nimoy.
This show, and specifically the character he played, ignited in Nimoy a lifelong quest to pursue acting work with a social impact.
"I've fulfilled that dream, including Star Trek, for that matter," he said.
"If that's part of the legacy, then I'm very pleased with that. I would hope the work I chose to do had some reason for being done other than just simply being a job."
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