William Shatner Puts Out Heartbreaking Message About End Of Life
The last few years have seen the loss of legends like Betty White and Michael Gambon, and, at 93 years old, we hate to say it but William Shatner is getting up there. The Star Trek star understands this and has shared a depressing message about these later years of his life. In a recent interview, he said he doesn’t have “a real friend.” He also said, “I’m alone – I’m going to die alone.”
Everybody Is Lonely
In one sense, the actor is reflecting on things he wishes he’d done differently, and on the other, he’s laying out a path for younger generations to not make the same mistakes. In short – he’s reflecting and getting very real about his shortcomings as a person that have left him feeling alone and without the company of companionship.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that everybody is lonely,” William Shatner said, as he laid out his deep-thinking belief that in the end – we’re all by ourselves no matter how many friends or loved ones we have.
And he’s not wrong. Living into your mid-90s is rough for many reasons, but as those closest to you begin to face the music, you find yourself with fewer names in your phone book.
Regrets
He goes on to say that it’s easy to “ignore it” especially earlier in life when you have your whole world in front of you. Reflecting on his younger years, William Shatner said that there were many times that he shrugged the idea of friendship off because he wasn’t ready to be honest with himself.
The actor recalls hanging out solo following days and nights of practicing and performing with a theater company while watching his co-stars have a few drinks, while he instead just had one on his own before calling it a night, never wanting to join in with their revelry.
Behind The Scenes Drama
While it’s a great thing to have some personal growth even towards the end of your life, it’s hard to not connect William Shatner’s words with what we know about him and his relationships with old co-stars, specifically Leonard Nimoy and George Takei.
The trio appeared alongside one another on Star Trek: The Original Series and although they were teammates aboard the USS Enterprise, when the cameras went down, things weren’t very buddy-buddy between them. When Shatner talks about the experience of struggling to let his guard down, we can’t help but wonder if that was part of the problem with his relationships with Takei and Nimoy.
Acceptance
An outspoken critic of so many other productions to come from the Star Trek franchise, it’s obvious that William Shatner has made a lot of enemies along the way. But still, the actor is holding a place of acceptance for his shortcomings and his mistakes, as his words reflect personal growth and an understanding of the important moments in life that go by in the blink of an eye.
The Documentary
If you’re interested in hearing more deep thoughts from William Shatner and reflections about his life, you can rent the 2023 documentary, You Can Call Me Bill, in which he lets his guard down (at least a little bit) and tells his story for the first time in documentary form.
