BBC News recently sat down with Simon Pegg (Scotty) from the new 'Star Trek' film.  During the interview Simon was asked about the film and what it was like to play Scotty on the Enterprise.

As a self confessed sci-fi geek, just how excited were you to be in costume and actually standing on the bridge of the USS Enterprise?

It was amazing and I felt very honoured. I'm a Star Trek fan and to be on the bridge of the Enterprise in my red uniform and playing Scotty, who is a beloved and integral part of the starship Enterprise crew, was just crazy.

How do you follow the performance of a much loved actor like James Doohan and how conscious were you of taking on such an iconic role?

I was fortunate to reach out to Chris Doohan, James' son, and we became pals. He was on set with me and was my assistant in the transporter room so I was able to have some connection to the Doohan family.

I wanted to make it very clear that I wasn't just taking it lightly or doing an impression of James, but I would try and approach it like he did.

What about mastering the Scottish accent then?

Half my family is from the west coast so I channelled them, my wife and her family. There's some argument about where Scotty's from, some say Linlithgow, I think Dundee, and Aberdeen have claimed him. I figured he'd gone to Glasgow University and picked up a strong Glaswegian accent.

Fortunately, [my wife] Maureen was on set with me all the time. I would come off set and say: 'How was that, did that sound all right?' I'm very aware that I could be cutting myself off from half my family, but I think the character is a tribute to the Scots.

You get your own Scotty action figure, how cool was that?

I've seen it and it's pretty cool actually. As a fan of those things as a kid, I had plenty of action figures. To actually be one is a great joy, well, it's five - two Shaun of the Dead, a Doctor Who one and two Star Trek figures. Yes, I play with myself regularly. (source BBC News)

Read the full article here.