William Shatner, the veteran actor best known for his role in Star Trek, opened up about working with the legendary Judy Garland, and revealed how the Everybody Sing actress was at a “fragile” state when they made their Oscar-winning classic, Judgement at Nuremberg, together.
William Shatner details working with Judy Garland on Oscar-winning classic
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, veteran star William Shatner opened up about working with Judy Garland, widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time.
Shatner shared the screen with Garland in Stanley Kramer’s 1961 Oscar-winning drama Judgment at Nuremberg.
“She was very fragile,” Shatner revealed about Garner at that time in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. Shatner further explained how he was a long-term admirer of Garland’s work. “As a teenager from Montreal, every so often I’d go down with my parents to New York and go to the theater,” he recalled, “And I saw her on stage in Times Square doing a concert — but she was drunk.”
Much younger then, Shatner did not know about Garland’s history of addiction. He explained, “I kept looking at her thinking, ‘My God, she’s my heroine. And I think she’s drunk,’” He added, “I was a teenager. I thought, ‘Why, she can’t possibly be drunk on stage!’ And, well, she was, and made no sense. And I was so disappointed.”
Over time, he found out about Garland’s issues. “I began to read about her problems and what she was dealing with.”
But there was no denying that she was one of the foremost stars of the era. “She was an enormous talent,” Shatner added, “And when she came on to do her scene, I hadn’t seen anything of her since that experience so many years ago. There she was, doing her fragile bit. And it was part of a continuity that I treasure.”
This particular role, in which she starred alongside Shatner, ended up earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Sadly, she was beaten to the award by Rita Moreno.
Judy Garland remains one of the most revered names in film history.
