Visiting his home state of Massachusetts for an art show in which his latest photos are exhibited, Leonard Nimoy (Spock) talked about the impact of his photography and the challenges of returning to play Spock in the upcoming Star Trek film

"I was surrounded by museums, exhibitions, theater, and all kinds of art opportunities," Nimoy said of his youth in the city to The Boston Globe. He considered changing careers after his stint on Mission: Impossible, but it was not until more recently that he began to work as a photographer full time. His latest book, The Full Body Project, centers on large women celebrating their bodies, which are not designed the way contemporary media suggests women should look.

"The average American woman weighs 25 percent more than the models who are posing in the clothes they are trying to sell," Nimoy pointed out. "In our culture, there's this worshiping of the thin body, and I became fascinated with that idea." He said he believed that feminists would find the book liberating, though some might be uncomfortable.

Nimoy added that his friend and former co-star William Shatner (Kirk) owns some of his artwork, including "one of a nude lying on her back with her arms folded across her chest."

In a separate interview with The Republican, Nimoy called the role of Spock in the upcoming film "interesting and challenging." He said that if viewers would "accept the fact that I am older and so is the character, that is a start."

At 76, Nimoy said he had become interested in how people define their identity and image. He plans to take photos of people as they dress and pose themselves rather than as models. "What I am saying is... 'Show me the part that is missing'", he explained.

Which leads back to his current project and its confrontation with the tactics of the fashion and diet industries, now on display in Northampton, Massachusetts. "In our culture, women are congratulated for losing weight," noted Nimoy. "It's one of the highest compliments you can pay - 'Oh, you've lost weight.'" He said that he had received very little negative reaction.

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