Photo: CBS via Getty
Nicholas Meyer knew there was something special about Kirstie Alley the moment he met her for a possible role in his film,Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Speaking to PEOPLE on Tuesday, a day afterAlley died of cancerat the age of 71, Meyer, 76, recalls meeting the young actress for the first time and sensing something different.
Sylvain Lefevre/Getty
In 2016, Alley participated in theStar Trek 50th Anniversary Conin Las Vegas where she talked about how extensive the casting process was for her, noting a few times that Meyer was her career “champion” in seeing that she got the role when Paramount execs were not thrilled about her lack of experience.
For more on Kirstie Alley, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
Beyond giving a “terrific reading” for the 1982 sequel, Alley played Saavik with an “unselfconscious originality” that the character required, Meyer says, in explaining why he fought for her.
“I don’t think she was trying to be original, or as some might imprecisely call ‘kooky,’ but she nailed it,” the director says. “What was impressive about her reading was that she didn’t inject her own, as I called it, ‘merry personality’ into it. I don’t know if she had enough experience, but she had enough intuition to do what the role called for.”
Once cast, Alley was so thrilled to be a part of the sci-fi production she did not remove her Vulcan ears, Meyer tells PEOPLE.
CBS via Getty
At the 2016 Vegas con, Alley also spoke about crying during the scene of Spock’s funeral, which was not scripted; she was simply overcome with emotion in the moment. Meyer also recalls that moment and why he liked it — and why star William Shatner was not thrilled.
Noting that both his cinematographer and script supervisor cried while filming Spock’s death scene with Capt. Kirk, Meyer says he knew the material was emotionally powerful.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“And that included her in the funeral scene,” he says. “I didn’t instruct her to weep. When I saw it happening, I remember Shatner came over to me and said, ‘You’re not going to let her do that, are you? Vulcans can’t cry.’ And I said, ‘That will make this so much more effective whenshedoes.'”
On Monday evening, shortly after news of her death broke, Shatner paid his respects via social media.
“Saddened to hear of the passing of @kirstiealley. Condolences to her family & friends,” the Capt. Kirk actorwroteon Twitter.
source: people.com
