Star Trek Captain Anson Mount on pranks on the sci-fi set and Strange New Worlds’ biggest secret

In the new science fiction series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds we discover alien planets with the crew of the Enterprise and experience daring adventures. However, the captain’s name isn’t Kirk, it’s Pike. Christopher Pikes, to be exact. He is played by the American Anson Mount.

Anson Mount leads the best Star Trek series in years

Mount is one of those actors that you’ve probably seen before without immediately knowing his name. He played the vengeful hero in five seasons of the western series Hell on Wheels. His Marvel breakthrough as Black Bolt didn’t materialize after the failure of Inhumans, but he did have a small cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness earlier this year.

Anson Mount celebrated his greatest successes in the Star Trek universe. In Star Trek: Discovery in 2019 he played Christopher Pike, predecessor of Kirk on the Enterprise. With Strange New Worlds he is now leading the best Star Trek series since Deep Space Nine and German fans have been able to watch the series on Sky or Paramount+ since Thursday.

On that occasion, the somewhat snuffy Anson Mount was in Berlin. In an interview with Moviepilot he talks about the differences between Pike and Kirk as a manager. he reveals how he pranked Riker actor Jonathan Frakes on setand he even reveals the biggest secret of Strange New Worlds: How does Pike care for his growing head of hair?

But first to the important things: Indian action hits…

MP: I saw that you recorded a podcast episode about the Indian film RRR. I love this movie. Did you like him?

Anson Mount: Oh yes, definitely, RRR is so outrageously himself, [lacht] there is so much joy in it and you can tell that the film team had incredible fun with all the effects. It’s so over the top, I loved it.

So, can we expect tiger or tiger-alien battles in Season 2 of Strange New Worlds?

[lacht] You have to [Showrunner Akiva Goldsman] ask, I don’t know, that’s up to him.

Pike has “the coolest quarters a captain on Star Trek has ever had”

I’m asking because I don’t find your Captain Christopher Pike the type of person to fight a tiger, but James T. Kirk does. What do you think is the biggest difference between Kirk and Pike? Especially in their leadership style.

When we started, I told the writers that I only know a few things about Pike. What I wanted to develop further is that if Kirk represents the machismo and Picard represents the intellect, I want Pike to represent the heart. When a crew member comes to Pike, that’s the most important thing in the world for them at that moment. That brought [Showrunner Henry Alonso Myers] to the idea that maybe they could have dinner together. And I said, “Oh, I know he cooks for her”.

Every captain gets a request fulfilled for his quarters, and the thing I asked for was the kitchen. And it’s, I think, the coolest quarters a captain on Star Trek has ever had.

As I watched the series, I thought about which captain in the Star Trek universe I would like to have as my boss. I then chose Pike, not just because of the cooking skills, but because I feel like he cares about me, even as a marginal character.

Oh yes, I believe great leaders will tell you that the secret of leadership is understanding that you live to serve your team, not the other way around. I think Pike knows that.

Anson Mount pranked Star Trek legend Jonathan Frakes on set

As I looked at the executives behind the show, I found it refreshing that so many episodes were directed by women. In your series Hell on Wheels 2011 it was one episode out of ten. On Strange New Worlds, it’s halfway through the season. As an actor, how do you take advantage of this greater diversity?

That’s a fantastic question, I’m glad you asked it. Probably because I grew up with a single mother – I generally work very well, maybe even better with women in leadership positions.

I don’t know exactly why that is, without saying things that might sound cliche, but I enjoyed this and think it’s long overdue.

And I tell you: There are more women than men in my series. Halfway through Season 1 or most of Season 1 I’ve closed [Spock Darsteller Ethan Peck] turned around and said, “Ethan, I think we’re outnumbered”. [lacht] And that’s great.

Speaking of the behind-the-scenes team, you’ve previously worked with Star Trek legend Jonathan Frakes, on Discovery and on the upcoming crossover episode with Lower Decks in Season 2 of Strange New Worlds. How is he as a director?

I love Jonathan, he’s a great leader with a phenomenal sense of humor. He loves being on set. He has a portable monitor so he can sit off camera with the actors on set and be right there with the scene. I love to make fun of it. And like I said, he has a good sense of humor, which is very good for the episode he directed.

What can we expect from the crossover, is it more of a Lower Decks episode or a Strange New Worlds episode?

Well, that’s for season 2. I’ll come back later and talk to you about it.

No, please, at least a little bit!

[lacht] This episode was just so much fun. I have [Jonathan] even played a prank while filming this episode. I had found something – and you can see that by searching “Jonathan Frakes + Welcome Back, Kotter” on YouTube.

It’s a classic 70’s show with lots of white collars, bell bottoms and long hair. There’s a screen test of a very young Jonathan Frakes auditioning for the role of John Travolta in Welcome Back, Kotter… [lacht] It’s so great.

I had the video team put together a special message from Starfleet. In the middle of one of our scenes, she appeared on screen and we just played the entire audition for Welcome Back, Kotter while he was sitting there. That was really funny.

The Biggest Mystery of Strange New Worlds…

Finally, the most important question for me: What is the special ingredient in Pikes Shampoo? Because his hair is incredible.

I think in the future there will be nanorobots that will do all this in the morning. Luckily I have my own nanorobots, the hair department. And I just walk in looking terribly disheveled and then walk out with THIS hair.

Thank you for the interview!

This interview has been shortened and condensed.

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