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William Shatner Says He Doesn’t Have Long To Live

Credit: Alamy & CNN

William Shatner says he doesn’t have long to live.

The Star Trek actor, 92, played the iconic James T. Kirk in the sci-fi franchise from 1966 to 1994.

Shatner has recently made a documentary called You Can Call Me Bill – which has been described as ‘an intimate portrait of William Shatner’s personal journey over nine decades on this Earth’.

While discussing the project, the Boston Legal actor revealed why now he has chosen to make something about his life.

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Speaking about his decision to make the documentary to Variety, Shatner said: “I’ve turned down a lot of offers to do documentaries before. But I don’t have long to live.

“Whether I keel over as I’m speaking to you or 10 years from now, my time is limited, so that’s very much a factor. I’ve got grandchildren.

“This documentary is a way of reaching out after I die.

“The sad thing is that the older a person gets the wiser they become and then they die with all that knowledge.”

You Can Call Me Bill was released in March 2023 and is directed by Alexandre O. Philippe – who has worked on previous documentaries such as The People Vs George Lucas and 78/52.

It was a critical success and received an impressive 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

William Shatner
William Shatner revealed that he does not have much longer to live. Credit: Legion M Entertainment

Speaking about what makes this documentary different to others, Shatner explained to Variety that he didn’t want to make something that just highlighted moments of his life – such as his ‘favourite colour’ or what he did when he was a child.

He elaborated: “I’m trying to discover something I’ve never said before or to find a way to say something I’ve said before in a different way, so I can explore that truth further.

“The sad thing is that the older a person gets the wiser they become and then they die with all that knowledge. And it’s gone. It’s not like I’m going to take my ideas or my clothing with me.”

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Even though he spent most of his career playing a space captain in Star Trek, Shatner actually got to experience going to space in 2021 as he was part of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin expedition – making him the oldest person to go to space.

In his interview with Variety, he shared that the trip – which lasted for about 10 minutes – actually made him ‘weep’ as he got to see the Earth in its ‘beauty and destruction’.

Shatner said that ‘we stupid f***ing animals are destroying’ the Earth and that it makes him ‘angry’.

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Written by Rosario Monachino

Rosario is a former content editor at IGV who specialized in film, TV, and entertainment news. He has a degree in English and Film from the University of Salford and a master's in Journalism from Liverpool John Moores University.