Legendary actor William Shatner lives every day as if it were his last.
The 91-year-old Star Trek captain has opened up about his mortality as he prepares to release his documentary You Can Call Me Bill.
“I turned down many offers to make documentaries before. But I don’t have long to live,” Shatner revealed during an interview with Variety.
WILLIAM SHATNER SHARES PROFOUND WORDS AFTER BLUE ORIGIN’S SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT: ‘I HOPE I NEVER RECOVER FROM THIS’
“Whether I’m going to be reeling as I speak to you or 10 years from now, my time is limited, so that’s a very important factor. I have grandchildren. This documentary is a way for me to reach out after I die.”
“You Can Me Call Me Bill” gives fans an inside look at Shatner’s personal journey spanning nine decades, including highlights from his successful career.
READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP
Asked if he learned anything about himself in the film, he said: “I’m trying to find something I’ve never said before or find a way to say something I’ve said before in a different way so I can explore this truth hereafter.”
“The sad thing is that the older you get, the wiser you become and then you die with all that knowledge,” he told the media.
The Canadian actor also revealed that he has “no legacy” and doesn’t regret some of the decisions he’s made in life, including not attending the funeral of his Star Trek co-star Leonard Nimoy.
Shatner suggested that people are eventually forgotten after death, but noted that “good deeds” live on.
“When Leonard Nimoy died a few years ago, his funeral was on a Sunday. His death was very sudden and I had committed to going to Mar-a-Lago for a Red Cross fundraiser. I was one of the celebrity fundraisers…I chose to keep my promise and go to Mar-a-Lago instead of the funeral,” Shatner shared.
WILLIAM SHATNER SHARES POVING LEONARD NIMOY MEMORY, EXPLAINS WHY TAKES ON ‘THE UNEXPLAINABLE’
He went on to explain the reason behind his decision to skip Nimoy’s funeral and what inspired him to create his documentary.
“People ask about inheritance. There is no inheritance. Statues are toppled. The cemeteries have been searched. Tombstones have been torn down. No one remembers anyone. Who remembers Danny Kaye or Cary Grant? They were great stars. But they are gone and no one cares. But what lives on is good deeds. If you do a good deed, it reverberates until the end of time. It’s a butterfly thing.”
Shatner, who is best known for his role as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, received backlash at the time for not attending his co-star’s funeral.
The actor from “The Defenders” does not regret his decision and added that he tries to avoid negative headlines.
“Who cares? I know what I did was right. So it doesn’t matter. They criticize us when we lift a finger. I don’t read this stuff. I try not to … give in to the evil that’s out there.”
Prior to the release of his documentary, Shatner additionally wrote a book, Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder, published last year.
Shatner detailed his life stories and the connection between the earth and the fragility of life. He also recorded his experience traveling to space aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin New Shepard in October 2021.
The Star Trek alum made history as the oldest person to travel to space.
However, after embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, Shatner admitted that the experience brought him to tears.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
“When I got out of the spaceship, I was crying, just sobbing, and I thought, ‘why am I crying?’… I’m grieving… I’m grieving for the world because now I know so much about what’s going on. I saw the Earth and its beauty and its destruction,” he continued.
“It disappears. Billions of years of evolution could disappear. It is sacred, it is holy, it is life and it is gone. It’s beyond tragic. We stupid fucking animals are destroying this beautiful thing called Earth. does that make you angry? Don’t you want to do something about it?”
Shatner has had a decades-long career with hit shows such as “TJ Hooker” and “Boston Legal,” along with the original Star Trek series and movies.