Deep Roy figured out that he would return as Keenser in Star Trek into Darkness while he was still working on Star Trek.
During the filming of Star Trek, a newly-created scene that required Roy to return for another day’s shooting gave him hope that a return was in the cards.
“I kind of knew while we were doing the first one [that I would be returning],” said Roy. “They were debating whether to leave me or put me on the Enterprise. J.J. created a special scene for me. I was finished with the movie, but I got a callback and they said, ‘They want you for one more day.’ They didn’t tell me for what. They said, ‘You’ll find out when you come on the set.’” When I went on to the set, J.J. said, ‘We’re going to put you on the Enterprise.’ I was delighted. I said, ‘Well, here comes the sequel. Maybe I’m a permanent fixture now.’
The silent Keenser was not originally meant to be silent. “I had dialogue, but they changed that,” explained Roy. “They said, ‘It doesn’t look right for this guy to talk because, after all, he’s from another planet. He’s an alien. He doesn’t speak the language.’ So that’s what happened on the first film. I did have dialogue, but they took it out. J.J. told me why and I said, ‘Sure, whatever it is, it is.’ And then it just made sense for him not to speak in the second one, either.”
Roy explained how he viewed the petite alien. “Well, Keenser is a smart alien,” he said. “I try to bring a little bit of comedy into it, but he’s a great thinker. He is a guy…silence is golden, as they say, but he’s well-aware of what’s going on around him. He doesn’t hold grudges against anyone. ”
With two appearances in the can, how does Roy view his Star Trek experience? “I think I’m blessed,” he said. “You’ve got to work doubly hard to get across what your character is trying to say when you’ve got the makeup on you or a mask on you, and it’s nice that people appreciate it.”
Source: StarTrek.com
